Whew, this week has been BEYOND exhausting. Thursday and Friday saw me drive 16 hours and when I finally got home, my wife and I worked late in the night Friday night to get her hair salon (and my hypnosis clinic) open in time for Saturday night.
Oh, that's right - in the last week, my wife put in notice (30 day notice) to leave her former salon and finish up our new one...but the other salon owner put up a hissy fit and decided to throw her out in a week, leaving us scrambling to get everything ready so my wife's clients didn't decide to go to another salon.
The good news is the majority of the hard work is over and we can start to enjoy life again.
Before I forget, I know new people check out this column each week so here's my pitch to sign up for my free ezine, "Cause And Effects." In each monthly issue, I write an article about real world performing, marketing or magic philosophy. I also share weird road stories and more! Shoot me an email to: crisjohnsoninfo@verizon.net.
I'm still beyond tired but I wanted to get a review up this week. This week I'm reviewing Timmy Toilet Paper by Tom Burgoon. It's available for $199.95 from Hocus Pocus. Here's the link: http://www.hocus-pocus.com/magicshop/product_detail.cfm?item=14662
EFFECT: A very funny do as I do routine with toilet paper turns into a startling 50-foot mouthcoil production.
WHAT YOU RECEIVE: An extremely well produced notebook with several pictures and routine ideas. You also receive a DVD with five live performances of the routine. You also receive a free package of white mouthcoils (which, if ordered through Hocus Pocus, you'll have to mail in a certificate. I received mine in about 10 days.) You also receive a signed copy of Tom posing with Timmy and a certificate of performance rights.
I also had to mail in to receive my certificate...and, nothing against Tom, but I felt silly getting a signed picture of Tom. I simply don;t collect autographs. Just not my thing.
MY HISTORY: I've been doing my own mouthcoil routine for years. Simply put, in my view, the mouthcoil is one of the greatest production items in history. My routine is set to music and is always a crowd pleaser.
My reasons for buying the Timmy routine is the fact that often, I will perform for the same audiences multiple times, especially when I perform my night time family fundraiser show (shoot me an email to crisjohnsoninfo@verizon.net if interested in booking high dollar school fundraiser shows) so I wanted to have a different mouthcoil routine that was comedy based.
QUALITY IN INSTRUCTION: Tom does a good job teaching the routine and the effectiveness of his handling is evident in the fact that I watched Tom's performances several times and a key move blew past me every time. Tom's handling of this key move is a study in performing a move on the off beat and the more I watch it the more impressed I am.
Simply put, this routine is not only funny but a fooler as well.
Tom also gives plenty of other suggestions for enhancing the routine and stretching it out with bits of business, including a bit that lends itself nicely to the classic Paper Balls Over The Head.
Most importantly, the routine is not difficult to perform, allowing you to (c'mon, say it with me) concentrate on your presentation. As a stage performer, I've gradually removed most of the technically demanding stuff and just bond with my audiences, so to me, this is a good thing.
ANGLES: Because of Tom's handling, you don't want anyone directly behind you and probably not to the extreme sides, but in most situations you'll be fine. Additionally, once you understand Tom's handling, you may easily change it to something more angle friendly if you're a street performer.
THE CONTROVERSIES: Several years ago, Tom published the routine in Genii as an illustration in the construction of a routine. Apparently, Tom's intent was to show the construction of a routine for reasons other than allowing others to actually perform it.
While I found this to be odd, having never read the article, I cannot comment on whether Tom's intent was clear or not. All I can comment on is the fact that Tom has the right to put out a product and charge what he wants and we as consumers can choose whether or not to buy it.
With that out of the way, the second controversy involves the performance rights the purchaser has. Tom has restricted the performance rights to NOT include the Magic Castle and NOT to include TV rights (of any kind) and NOT to allow purchasers to put clips of the routine on one's own demo video.
I'll address the three exclusions separately from my own perspective.
Because Tom is so well known in the magic community, I personally would never perform this at the Castle because many magicians who see me do it would know it was not my creation, so that exclusion makes sense.
The second exclusion is mildly irritating - not performing it on TV - but as a school performer, I do not really aspire to be on TV so to me, no big deal.
The final exclusion, not putting it on my demo DVD, I found very offensive. So if a school wanted to see clips of my show, I could not include any Timmy clips. While I have a large enough collection of working material, this still irritated me.
I suppose it wouldn't bother me so much if it was stated in the ad copy but it's not. Others on different forums have claimed that from a legal standpoint, the terms are not enforceable because the purchaser was not aware of the conditions and did not sign anything upon purchase.
I can't comment on the legalities and again I do plan on performing this (in 2 days I'll be breaking it in for the first time) so I will use this, but I wanted readers to be aware of the limitations.
MY RECOMMENDATION: I love the routine and find some of the subtle nuances of Tom's handling to be the most deceptive handling of the mouthcoil I've ever seen. The routine is funny without being offensive and is interactive as well. A mouthcoil routine is always pleasing to lay people.
I found the demo DVD exclusion irritating in terms of permission to perform the routine.
I highly recommend this routine in terms of real world performing, but I will take two points off my score because of the fact that the exclusions were not mentioned in the ad copy, which I find extremely unfair. 8 out of 10.
NEXT WEEK: Personality Readings Plus Book Test by Paul Romhany
Questions? Review requests? Email me at crisjohnsoninfo@verizon.net
Best,
Cris Johnson
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Two Class Acts and REVIEW: Cody Fisher's Silk 2 Egg
I'm back, better than I have been in a few weeks.
Before I get into this week's review, I want to thank a couple of class acts in magic - first, Paul Romhany for private reasons. I've never met him face to face, but over the last several months he's really been a great friend, always quick to lend support when faced with challenges in my personal life - and there's been a slew of 'em in the last 12 months. Thanks, Paul.
Secondly, I want to thank Nick Wenger. Those of you who have purchased Nick's effects, such as his Spirit Bell through Bob Kohler and his Planted effect know he delivers the goods. Well, I hired Nick to build me a custom electronic prop for a specific themed corporate show that I do many times a year. The resulting product is AMAZING! His customer support is great, too. If you're looking for a particular magic prop that doesn't exist yet (an odd thing, I know!) contact Nick - he may be able to help you out. His email is nickwenger@verizon.net. I have NO financial connection to Nick, but I love his stuff.:)
On to this week's review (which will be a bit shorter than normal because it's a shorter booklet). It's Cody Fisher's Silk 2 Egg! It's available for $40.00 from Hocus Pocus. Here's the link: http://www.hocus-pocus.com/magicshop/product_detail.cfm?item=17224
EFFECT: The Effect: The magician takes a silk and places it into his hand. One magical gesture and the silk is now an egg! The silk is shown to have magically transported to the magician's pocket! The magician proceeds to let the audience in on the secret by exposing the fact that the egg is hollow and he was using two silks. Now that the audience completely understands, a volunteer is brought onstage, given two silks and a gimmicked egg and told to copy the magicians every action.
This is done and both the magician and the volunteer have magically transformed their silk into an egg. The magician says that this is the EASY way to do the trick; the more advanced version is to remove the silk (sticker) and crack the egg to show that it is actually a REAL egg!
The magician says that he feels the onstage volunteer is a quick learner and they are instructed to do the same with their gimmicked egg. To the amazement of the onstage volunteer they do just that! They pull off the silk; it is actually a sticker now! They crack the egg into the glass! Their egg is 100% REAL too and they have NO IDEA how they did it!
PRODUCT DETAILS: An extremely detailed manuscript with color photos, illustrations and extremely detailed description.
DIFFICULTY: IF you're familiar with the traditional silk to egg effect, you have an idea of the difficulty. It's maybe a 2 or 3 in terms of technical difficulty and maybe a 3 or 4 in difficulty in terms of spectator management. NOTE: I do not consider this a difficult routine in any way, but I want to emphasize that spectator management, while not difficult, is crucial for the success of this effect...but it's NOT difficult.
When you read how the effect works, it reads as very ballsy, but really, this is not difficult for the experienced performer who is already comfortable interacting with audience volunteers.
QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION: Phenomenal. These days, I prefer learning magic by DVD, but I can't imagine a printed booklet that could teach this effect any better. Cody's done a great job with this. An easy 10 out of 10.
MY THOUGHTS: WOW. That's my reaction in a nutshell. First, a bit of history...I've got my own handling of the silk to egg effect and it's always been an audience pleaser. After 12 years of performing it, I consider silk to egg to be a very reliable " go to" effect. I would never dream of changing it until...
I read this! In all honesty, Cody called me a few months ago and told me about this. Hearing him excitedly describe it made it sound very cool, but I'm not good at absorbing instructions verbally (when someone explains things to me verbally, I often forget it instantly.)
After receiving the booklet, I was thrilled with how this plays. Also, let's be clear: this is a WORKER, meaning it will play for laypeople!
So many effects created these days are pipe dreams and really aren't suited to the pro who cranks out 200+ shows a year. This one is really a worker within reach of any pro.
What I like about this is the amount of detail available to the working pro - things like transporting the real eggs, how to make your own egg "sticker" a la the Viking stickers, blocking, and most importantly, how the easygoing, fun script suitably conditions the onstage volunteer to cooperate with you...without becoming a stooge! That's another key point - there are no instant stooge aspects to this, as the volunteer will be just as amazed as everyone else.
It's not often that a new twist on a classic effect comes along that truly advances the original effect and this truly is the rare exception - you've got all of the benefits of the classic silk to egg with the fun interaction of an onstage volunteer (most other handlings are solo effects with the performer alone onstage) melded with an unbelievable twist ending.
This, along with Shoe Business, goes on my short list of best effects of 2011. It's an instant classic and comes with my highest recommendation. A 10 out of 10.
NEXT WEEK: Timmy Toilet Paper by Tom Burgoon.
Questions? Review requests? Contact me at crisjohnsoninfo@verizon.net
Best,
Cris Johnson
Before I get into this week's review, I want to thank a couple of class acts in magic - first, Paul Romhany for private reasons. I've never met him face to face, but over the last several months he's really been a great friend, always quick to lend support when faced with challenges in my personal life - and there's been a slew of 'em in the last 12 months. Thanks, Paul.
Secondly, I want to thank Nick Wenger. Those of you who have purchased Nick's effects, such as his Spirit Bell through Bob Kohler and his Planted effect know he delivers the goods. Well, I hired Nick to build me a custom electronic prop for a specific themed corporate show that I do many times a year. The resulting product is AMAZING! His customer support is great, too. If you're looking for a particular magic prop that doesn't exist yet (an odd thing, I know!) contact Nick - he may be able to help you out. His email is nickwenger@verizon.net. I have NO financial connection to Nick, but I love his stuff.:)
On to this week's review (which will be a bit shorter than normal because it's a shorter booklet). It's Cody Fisher's Silk 2 Egg! It's available for $40.00 from Hocus Pocus. Here's the link: http://www.hocus-pocus.com/magicshop/product_detail.cfm?item=17224
EFFECT: The Effect: The magician takes a silk and places it into his hand. One magical gesture and the silk is now an egg! The silk is shown to have magically transported to the magician's pocket! The magician proceeds to let the audience in on the secret by exposing the fact that the egg is hollow and he was using two silks. Now that the audience completely understands, a volunteer is brought onstage, given two silks and a gimmicked egg and told to copy the magicians every action.
This is done and both the magician and the volunteer have magically transformed their silk into an egg. The magician says that this is the EASY way to do the trick; the more advanced version is to remove the silk (sticker) and crack the egg to show that it is actually a REAL egg!
The magician says that he feels the onstage volunteer is a quick learner and they are instructed to do the same with their gimmicked egg. To the amazement of the onstage volunteer they do just that! They pull off the silk; it is actually a sticker now! They crack the egg into the glass! Their egg is 100% REAL too and they have NO IDEA how they did it!
PRODUCT DETAILS: An extremely detailed manuscript with color photos, illustrations and extremely detailed description.
DIFFICULTY: IF you're familiar with the traditional silk to egg effect, you have an idea of the difficulty. It's maybe a 2 or 3 in terms of technical difficulty and maybe a 3 or 4 in difficulty in terms of spectator management. NOTE: I do not consider this a difficult routine in any way, but I want to emphasize that spectator management, while not difficult, is crucial for the success of this effect...but it's NOT difficult.
When you read how the effect works, it reads as very ballsy, but really, this is not difficult for the experienced performer who is already comfortable interacting with audience volunteers.
QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION: Phenomenal. These days, I prefer learning magic by DVD, but I can't imagine a printed booklet that could teach this effect any better. Cody's done a great job with this. An easy 10 out of 10.
MY THOUGHTS: WOW. That's my reaction in a nutshell. First, a bit of history...I've got my own handling of the silk to egg effect and it's always been an audience pleaser. After 12 years of performing it, I consider silk to egg to be a very reliable " go to" effect. I would never dream of changing it until...
I read this! In all honesty, Cody called me a few months ago and told me about this. Hearing him excitedly describe it made it sound very cool, but I'm not good at absorbing instructions verbally (when someone explains things to me verbally, I often forget it instantly.)
After receiving the booklet, I was thrilled with how this plays. Also, let's be clear: this is a WORKER, meaning it will play for laypeople!
So many effects created these days are pipe dreams and really aren't suited to the pro who cranks out 200+ shows a year. This one is really a worker within reach of any pro.
What I like about this is the amount of detail available to the working pro - things like transporting the real eggs, how to make your own egg "sticker" a la the Viking stickers, blocking, and most importantly, how the easygoing, fun script suitably conditions the onstage volunteer to cooperate with you...without becoming a stooge! That's another key point - there are no instant stooge aspects to this, as the volunteer will be just as amazed as everyone else.
It's not often that a new twist on a classic effect comes along that truly advances the original effect and this truly is the rare exception - you've got all of the benefits of the classic silk to egg with the fun interaction of an onstage volunteer (most other handlings are solo effects with the performer alone onstage) melded with an unbelievable twist ending.
This, along with Shoe Business, goes on my short list of best effects of 2011. It's an instant classic and comes with my highest recommendation. A 10 out of 10.
NEXT WEEK: Timmy Toilet Paper by Tom Burgoon.
Questions? Review requests? Contact me at crisjohnsoninfo@verizon.net
Best,
Cris Johnson
Saturday, May 14, 2011
So Sick
Hi all,
As you can tell by the headline, my health has once again failed me. The stress of my travel schedule coupled with the stress of opening the salon and starting my hypno-biz means my body has given up again. I'm pumped up full of antibiotics and just trying to get through the days as I continue to be very busy with shows. I'll be back next week for a review, probably when I'm holed up in TX traveling for shows. Thanks for your understanding. Stay tuned...
Cris
As you can tell by the headline, my health has once again failed me. The stress of my travel schedule coupled with the stress of opening the salon and starting my hypno-biz means my body has given up again. I'm pumped up full of antibiotics and just trying to get through the days as I continue to be very busy with shows. I'll be back next week for a review, probably when I'm holed up in TX traveling for shows. Thanks for your understanding. Stay tuned...
Cris
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
The Home Stretch and REVIEW: Stretching The Truth
Hi all,
Today is May 4th and my wife Libby is scrambling toward the finish line, graduating from college on May 14th, after three years of hell. I say "hell" because in many of her classes, her teachers showed unabashed favoritism, poor teaching techniques, ambiguous instructions and much more. She's got a pile of projects as teachers keep it up right until two days from graduation.
My beef isn't the work, but the fact that in class after class, the skills and techniques she was to learn (web building classes) were largely left undone - in class after class, teachers did not get around to finishing the material they were supposed to teach, leaving Libby with an incomplete education.
Argh!
Oh well, onto this week's review: Stretching The Truth by Tim Gabrielson and Jim Flagg. It's available for $295 from Hocus Pocus. Here's the link: http://www.hocus-pocus.com/magicshop/product_detail.cfm?item=9594
EFFECT: You and a randomly chosen audience member will entertain the crowd with an hysterical 7 minute comedy mind reading effect, where you will be attempting to draw a picture of the "volunteers" chosen animal cracker.
You and the audience seem to be one step ahead of the "volunteer" on stage due to you finishing the silly drawing of their animal on the comedy off beat, so only the audience can see and not the "volunteer" on stage.
However, in the end you will completely amaze everyone when the last animal drawn visually changes on paper before their eyes into the correct animal. This drawing is then torn out and handed to the "volunteer" to keep, with an astounding gasp from the audience.
WHAT YOU RECEIVE: A thorough DVD that explains the handling of the routine and construction of the gimmicked pad and gimmicked cookie container.
You also receive a script, two sketchpads, tape, an exacto knife, two boxes of animal cookies, a piece of metal, a portfolio, and a lot more stuff that's too much to list.
QUALITY OF STUFF: Most of it is basic stuff from an art supply store or an office supply store, so the quality is good but not earthshattering.
QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION: Tim & Jim do a good job of explaining how to construct the gimmick, using multiple camera views to get a close up of something during the construction process. It's not perfect, though, as there are times when the camera was on a long shot and you don't get the best shot for something or, maddeningly enough, the camera would dissolve to a new shot just as Tim did something crucial....or, my biggest beef yet, Tim would hold up something and say, "Do this" and then they'd have a not-so-great shot of what he was doing and he then would say, "You wind up with this."
That kind of stuff REALLY annoyed me for reasons I'll get into in a moment. Therefore, while the lighting was good and there were in fact multiple camera angles, the instruction was not perfect. Nevertheless, when I finished, my gimmick did in fact work perfectly. 7 out of 10 on the instructions...if you're like me, you'll need to re-watch things a few times.
QUALITY OF ROUTINE: If you've watched the demo video online, you know this routine is a variation on the classic Cardiographic or Sketchpad Card Rise by Martin Lewis. Lewis is in fact "thanked" at the end of the DVD, which I guess qualifies as crediting.
MY THOUGHTS: First of all, I have to say the original Sketchpad Card Rise instilled in me an amazing feeling of magic when I saw Copperfield do it on one of his TV specials 20 or so years ago. I LOVE the effect, but the problem with it in recent years is the fact that it's so easy to get and perform. If you buy a marketed version, pre-built, it's around $100, which is cheap for a 5 minute stage effect, or even cheaper if you build your own after watching Lewis' wonderful "Making Magic" video.
I myself used Lewis' effect in my night time Family Night school show for many years, but I dropped it 6 years ago as it got to the point where I'd get into the effect and you could hear the mutterings of people in the audience who had seen it before.
I'm not against the classics of magic, but the Sketchpad was so overused and when everyone knows the outcome of this kind of effect, well, many modern audiences don't have the patience for it. (Oh sure, it's all in the presentation and the journey, but still...)
So that brings me to Stretching The Truth and my desire to do a similar effect, but with a twist.
First of all, I love the routine. It's funny and surprising with the classic "Magician in Trouble" plot that is resolved wonderfully. Although the package comes with a written script, honestly, if you've watched the demo online, you've seen the high points. The fact that you're using animal cookies for a humourous "mind reading" experiment is novel and cute.
Now, as much as I like this and as functional as my gimmick is after building it, i have to add that I HATE HATE HATE building my own props. It's just not me. Argh!
I actually put off buying this thing for two years as I was hoping a pre-built version would be released. Nevertheless, my fears were unfounded, as after 3 hours, I had a terrific prop that will serve me well.
There's been some questioning online about how long it takes to build. Some say one hour....me, it took three hours. Bear in mind, I'm an absolute doofus when it comes to building props and is usually something I avoid at all costs, so if I can do it, just about anyone can.
My advice: worry less about the time it takes to build and concentrate on making the prop the best you can....if I found my attention wandering, I'd walk away and take a break, so it was probably really only two hours...maybe.:)
ANGLES: The angles on this are actually better than the Sketchpad Card Rise because of a neat little addition Tim has made which will help your side angles a bit. It's this addition and a few others that really show this baby has been ironed out in the real world.
MARKET: I'm putting this in my for-all-ages-family show, but I can also see this appealing to adult shows because of the comedy and the mind reading premise.
VALUE FOR THE PRICE: It's a good value in terms of the structure of the routine, the instruction coming to the gimmicks and the little details when it comes to ironing out the kinks of the performance, but in terms of physical stuff, I'd say no....the value of this is the intellectual property and not the physical stuff you get.
OVERALL RATING: This is a good product. I'm not thrilled with the building aspect, and I would have gladly paid a hundred or more extra dollars to get a pre-built one, but it's a great routine. I'll give it an 8 out of 10...great routine.
NEXT WEEK: Cody Fisher's Silk2Egg
Questions? Comments? Sign up for the Cause & Effects ezine? Email me at crisjohnsoninfo@verizon.net
Best,
Cris Johnson
Today is May 4th and my wife Libby is scrambling toward the finish line, graduating from college on May 14th, after three years of hell. I say "hell" because in many of her classes, her teachers showed unabashed favoritism, poor teaching techniques, ambiguous instructions and much more. She's got a pile of projects as teachers keep it up right until two days from graduation.
My beef isn't the work, but the fact that in class after class, the skills and techniques she was to learn (web building classes) were largely left undone - in class after class, teachers did not get around to finishing the material they were supposed to teach, leaving Libby with an incomplete education.
Argh!
Oh well, onto this week's review: Stretching The Truth by Tim Gabrielson and Jim Flagg. It's available for $295 from Hocus Pocus. Here's the link: http://www.hocus-pocus.com/magicshop/product_detail.cfm?item=9594
EFFECT: You and a randomly chosen audience member will entertain the crowd with an hysterical 7 minute comedy mind reading effect, where you will be attempting to draw a picture of the "volunteers" chosen animal cracker.
You and the audience seem to be one step ahead of the "volunteer" on stage due to you finishing the silly drawing of their animal on the comedy off beat, so only the audience can see and not the "volunteer" on stage.
However, in the end you will completely amaze everyone when the last animal drawn visually changes on paper before their eyes into the correct animal. This drawing is then torn out and handed to the "volunteer" to keep, with an astounding gasp from the audience.
WHAT YOU RECEIVE: A thorough DVD that explains the handling of the routine and construction of the gimmicked pad and gimmicked cookie container.
You also receive a script, two sketchpads, tape, an exacto knife, two boxes of animal cookies, a piece of metal, a portfolio, and a lot more stuff that's too much to list.
QUALITY OF STUFF: Most of it is basic stuff from an art supply store or an office supply store, so the quality is good but not earthshattering.
QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION: Tim & Jim do a good job of explaining how to construct the gimmick, using multiple camera views to get a close up of something during the construction process. It's not perfect, though, as there are times when the camera was on a long shot and you don't get the best shot for something or, maddeningly enough, the camera would dissolve to a new shot just as Tim did something crucial....or, my biggest beef yet, Tim would hold up something and say, "Do this" and then they'd have a not-so-great shot of what he was doing and he then would say, "You wind up with this."
That kind of stuff REALLY annoyed me for reasons I'll get into in a moment. Therefore, while the lighting was good and there were in fact multiple camera angles, the instruction was not perfect. Nevertheless, when I finished, my gimmick did in fact work perfectly. 7 out of 10 on the instructions...if you're like me, you'll need to re-watch things a few times.
QUALITY OF ROUTINE: If you've watched the demo video online, you know this routine is a variation on the classic Cardiographic or Sketchpad Card Rise by Martin Lewis. Lewis is in fact "thanked" at the end of the DVD, which I guess qualifies as crediting.
MY THOUGHTS: First of all, I have to say the original Sketchpad Card Rise instilled in me an amazing feeling of magic when I saw Copperfield do it on one of his TV specials 20 or so years ago. I LOVE the effect, but the problem with it in recent years is the fact that it's so easy to get and perform. If you buy a marketed version, pre-built, it's around $100, which is cheap for a 5 minute stage effect, or even cheaper if you build your own after watching Lewis' wonderful "Making Magic" video.
I myself used Lewis' effect in my night time Family Night school show for many years, but I dropped it 6 years ago as it got to the point where I'd get into the effect and you could hear the mutterings of people in the audience who had seen it before.
I'm not against the classics of magic, but the Sketchpad was so overused and when everyone knows the outcome of this kind of effect, well, many modern audiences don't have the patience for it. (Oh sure, it's all in the presentation and the journey, but still...)
So that brings me to Stretching The Truth and my desire to do a similar effect, but with a twist.
First of all, I love the routine. It's funny and surprising with the classic "Magician in Trouble" plot that is resolved wonderfully. Although the package comes with a written script, honestly, if you've watched the demo online, you've seen the high points. The fact that you're using animal cookies for a humourous "mind reading" experiment is novel and cute.
Now, as much as I like this and as functional as my gimmick is after building it, i have to add that I HATE HATE HATE building my own props. It's just not me. Argh!
I actually put off buying this thing for two years as I was hoping a pre-built version would be released. Nevertheless, my fears were unfounded, as after 3 hours, I had a terrific prop that will serve me well.
There's been some questioning online about how long it takes to build. Some say one hour....me, it took three hours. Bear in mind, I'm an absolute doofus when it comes to building props and is usually something I avoid at all costs, so if I can do it, just about anyone can.
My advice: worry less about the time it takes to build and concentrate on making the prop the best you can....if I found my attention wandering, I'd walk away and take a break, so it was probably really only two hours...maybe.:)
ANGLES: The angles on this are actually better than the Sketchpad Card Rise because of a neat little addition Tim has made which will help your side angles a bit. It's this addition and a few others that really show this baby has been ironed out in the real world.
MARKET: I'm putting this in my for-all-ages-family show, but I can also see this appealing to adult shows because of the comedy and the mind reading premise.
VALUE FOR THE PRICE: It's a good value in terms of the structure of the routine, the instruction coming to the gimmicks and the little details when it comes to ironing out the kinks of the performance, but in terms of physical stuff, I'd say no....the value of this is the intellectual property and not the physical stuff you get.
OVERALL RATING: This is a good product. I'm not thrilled with the building aspect, and I would have gladly paid a hundred or more extra dollars to get a pre-built one, but it's a great routine. I'll give it an 8 out of 10...great routine.
NEXT WEEK: Cody Fisher's Silk2Egg
Questions? Comments? Sign up for the Cause & Effects ezine? Email me at crisjohnsoninfo@verizon.net
Best,
Cris Johnson
Monday, April 25, 2011
Hypno-Website and REVIEW: Radio Magic by Banachek
Hey Everyone,
I'm doing this week's review early because once I get home from performing tomorrow night, I'm going to be super-busy helping my wife finish painting and setting things up at our new hair salon / hypnosis clinic.
Also on the subject of our new biz, here's the website I've had built for the new business: www.HypnosisHelpsNow.com. Check it out and let me know what you think. You can shoot me an email to crisjohnsoninfo@verizon.net. Also, I'll be writing the next issue of my free ezine, "Cause & Effects" tonight in preparation for a May 1st launch. The topic is going to be about 'going off script' and why having an air-tight, REHEARSED script means you can have an easier time going OFF script. Sounds weird, I know, but it's going to be a heck of a read, and to illustrate it, I will share a HILARIOUS exchange I had with a volunteer at a recent corporate motivational show I did last week. If you have not signed up yet, shoot me an email to crisjohnsoninfo@verizon.net.
Also, I'm thrilled to see Hocus Pocus is now offering Shoe Business, which I reviewed a short while ago. I was speaking on the phone with my friend Cody Fisher and as I told him, so far this is my top pick for the best new release to Hocus Pocus in 2011. Will it retain the title at years end/ Stay tuned!
Finally, before I get to the review, I sincerely want to thanks all of you who have ordered my school show courses the last few weeks. That main course, on daytime assemblies, has been out quite a while, but it seems many of you are heeding my words that, with a high quality product, school show performing is one of the most stable markets in magic. I'm toying with the idea of writing a book that addresses high school performing, as I've been doing that for years, but unless there's a demand for it, I'll put it off. (hint, hint...)
On to today's review...it's Radio Magic by Steve "Banachek" Shaw. It's available for $34.95 from Hocus Pocus. Here's the link: http://www.hocus-pocus.com/magicshop/product_detail.cfm?item=1989
WHAT YOU RECEIVE: Three audio CDs that detail the in's and out's of performing on the radio along with a wide variety of effects you can perform on a radio show.
AD COPY: Here's the ad copy...
Not just mentalism for the radio, but magic for the ears, too! Learn the secret to booking yourself, handling callers, and performing magic on the radio. This great trick can be performed one on one, over the phone! Comes complete with routines and out-takes from actual radio performances!
"These tapes are really interesting and will give the professional magician much to think about." - David Goodsell
"What better way to demonstrate radio magic than on audio cassette tape? Highly recommended." - Phil Wilmarth
OK, I may be splitting hairs here, but I have to point out one part of the ad copy - "This great trick can be performed one on one, over the phone!" This initially confused me because this sentence makes it sound like the buyer is just getting the secret to this one effect, which is not explained in the ad. A minor quibble, but I had to point it out.
QUALITY OF CDS: You can hear both Scott Wells and Banachek very clearly. It turns out these CDs were once audio tapes and eventually transferred to audio CD. Good stuff - you can hear everything clearly, both in the interviews Wells conducts with Banachek as well as the outtakes from the actual radio broadcasts Banachek was a part of. Good quality, easily a 10. It may not be "recording studio quality," but for our purposes, it's just fine.
QUALITY OF EFFECTS: There's some good stuff on here. I'm going to talk about the effects first and work my way backwards to the information (non-magic) on CD 1, so for now, some thoughts on the routines on CD 2 and 3.
For me, the highlight routine was The Assassination Game, a neat presentation for a classic mentalism routine. In Banachek's version, three listeners call up the radio and help Banaheck with the details of a crime - the supposed assassination of a famous cartoon character!
It's a delightful premise and the workings are such that you could easily add this to your regular 'live' stand-up show. Adapting it for radio was inspired.
Banachek also reveals his method for achieving a headline prediction. as Banachek points out, there are at least a thousand methods for a headline prediction. His is simple in execution and judging by the reactions of the radio personalities, pretty effective. It's good for radio, but I was less than thrilled with his method because his requires you to meet up with people a few weeks before the event, due to the necessity of having signatures to verify everything is on the up and up. To me, it's a weakness because if I have a gig in TX (I'm from NY) there's almost no chance I'm going to be able to meet with them prior to the event. Nevertheless, for a local gig, this method is sound.
Banachek also offers a fun musical routine that sounds like it plays well. This is one of those routines that is specifically suited to the radio simply because the workings would probably eliminate it from consideration for most performers' set lists. That being said, the radio performance had me absolutely amazed...and when Banachek revealed the workings, I couldn't believe he pulled it off. It's definitely one of those effects where you have to ignore how "non-sexy" the method is. Just listen to how it plays out on the radio and trust that's how it will play for you.
There are other routines, around 20 routines in all, and while most are very good, most are also things that could go right into your stand up act, too. There's booktest material, stuff with nailwriters, playing cards and so on. Some of the effects play best over the radio, especially a card divination that Scott Wells performed on the radio.
One of the main components of many of these routines is the fact that often, the 'work' for the effect is done while music or commercials are playing and when you and the radio host are back on, you use word play to suggest that the radio host was asked to just 'think of something' and you reveal it. Used this way, even the most basic of mentalism effects can have the essence of true miracles to listeners who are unaware of envelopes switches, equivoque and so on. That's probably one of the strongest lessons in the whole set.
Interestingly, although the CDs are called "Radio Magic," most of the material is mentalism-based. Because we're talking about radio, this makes sense, as you can easily 'read minds' of listeners and/or the radio host but on the flip side, asking the radio host to describe a manipulation act to listeners is not going to be effective..."OK, folks, Mr. Amazing has one red sponge ball...no, wait, he has two...no wait, he has three....now he's putting them in my hand....I've opened my hand and oh my! I have 20 red spongeballs in my hand!" Not good radio!
So, let the buyer be aware of the fact that he/she is really purchasing "Radio Mentalism" with these disks. To me, this is perfectly fine as I prefer mentalism over magic when performing for most adults in most situations.
THE "BUSINESS" SIDE OF RADIO MAGIC: OK, disk #1 is about the nuts and bolts side of performing on the radio. As Banachek admits, you're not getting a dime for performing on the radio...but the publicity the exposure can get for you is amazing, which is the whole reason I bought these disks.
Banachek gets into the need for a 'hook' to get on the radio, explaining that just being a magician is NOT enough to get you on the air. He gives some examples of hooks to use, which is nice. He also mentions the fact that sometimes it's easier to "know someone" to get on the radio, which I found disheartening to say the least. What if you "don't know someone?"
To make matters worse, while he recommends you need to have a 'hook' to get on the air, Banachek does not give you any details with what to do with said 'hook.' I'm a detail guy! I would have liked to have a job title to ask for if I needed to call the radio station: "Yes, I'd like to speak to Mr. Program Manager..." That kind of thing.
Or maybe radio stations respond to such requests better through email? Or a fax? Or maybe (gasp) an honest to goodness letter? I don't know the best method nor do I know the job title to ask for. These glaring omissions made a big difference in my overall rating.
Now, to get away from the negative, there is a wealth of great information on disk 1. Issues such as timing out your performance is discussed. The different types of radio stations are discussed, including talk show formats and how to handle each.
Interestingly, while the show clips themselves were entertaining, I got the feeling (and I'm probably wrong) that Banachek was getting railroaded and tossed around by some of these guys - in other words, he'd try to verbally set up an effect and Mr. Radio Meathead would cut him off with some stupid remark or sound effect.
To be fair, I know that most radio hosts are NOT like this( I have a few radio hosts as friends)...in fact, one of the shows Banachek was on (when he did the headline prediction) did in fact sound much more mellow and laid back, allowing, perhaps, for an effect to 'breathe' before it was stomped on by Mr. Meathead Radio Dude.
The one positive I can take from this is the fact that Banachek came off as Mr. Cool - nothing was going to 'throw' him. The guy's a true pro and listening to him made it sound easy and fun.
MY OVERALL SCORE: There is a lot of terrific information here along with some great routines (many of which can even be done in your regular show) but the omission of what I feel was very relevant info (the nitty gritty details of actually getting on the air) brings my score down a bit. I'll rate these as 7 out of 10.
NEXT WEEK: Stretching The Truth
Best,
Cris Johnson
I'm doing this week's review early because once I get home from performing tomorrow night, I'm going to be super-busy helping my wife finish painting and setting things up at our new hair salon / hypnosis clinic.
Also on the subject of our new biz, here's the website I've had built for the new business: www.HypnosisHelpsNow.com. Check it out and let me know what you think. You can shoot me an email to crisjohnsoninfo@verizon.net. Also, I'll be writing the next issue of my free ezine, "Cause & Effects" tonight in preparation for a May 1st launch. The topic is going to be about 'going off script' and why having an air-tight, REHEARSED script means you can have an easier time going OFF script. Sounds weird, I know, but it's going to be a heck of a read, and to illustrate it, I will share a HILARIOUS exchange I had with a volunteer at a recent corporate motivational show I did last week. If you have not signed up yet, shoot me an email to crisjohnsoninfo@verizon.net.
Also, I'm thrilled to see Hocus Pocus is now offering Shoe Business, which I reviewed a short while ago. I was speaking on the phone with my friend Cody Fisher and as I told him, so far this is my top pick for the best new release to Hocus Pocus in 2011. Will it retain the title at years end/ Stay tuned!
Finally, before I get to the review, I sincerely want to thanks all of you who have ordered my school show courses the last few weeks. That main course, on daytime assemblies, has been out quite a while, but it seems many of you are heeding my words that, with a high quality product, school show performing is one of the most stable markets in magic. I'm toying with the idea of writing a book that addresses high school performing, as I've been doing that for years, but unless there's a demand for it, I'll put it off. (hint, hint...)
On to today's review...it's Radio Magic by Steve "Banachek" Shaw. It's available for $34.95 from Hocus Pocus. Here's the link: http://www.hocus-pocus.com/magicshop/product_detail.cfm?item=1989
WHAT YOU RECEIVE: Three audio CDs that detail the in's and out's of performing on the radio along with a wide variety of effects you can perform on a radio show.
AD COPY: Here's the ad copy...
Not just mentalism for the radio, but magic for the ears, too! Learn the secret to booking yourself, handling callers, and performing magic on the radio. This great trick can be performed one on one, over the phone! Comes complete with routines and out-takes from actual radio performances!
"These tapes are really interesting and will give the professional magician much to think about." - David Goodsell
"What better way to demonstrate radio magic than on audio cassette tape? Highly recommended." - Phil Wilmarth
OK, I may be splitting hairs here, but I have to point out one part of the ad copy - "This great trick can be performed one on one, over the phone!" This initially confused me because this sentence makes it sound like the buyer is just getting the secret to this one effect, which is not explained in the ad. A minor quibble, but I had to point it out.
QUALITY OF CDS: You can hear both Scott Wells and Banachek very clearly. It turns out these CDs were once audio tapes and eventually transferred to audio CD. Good stuff - you can hear everything clearly, both in the interviews Wells conducts with Banachek as well as the outtakes from the actual radio broadcasts Banachek was a part of. Good quality, easily a 10. It may not be "recording studio quality," but for our purposes, it's just fine.
QUALITY OF EFFECTS: There's some good stuff on here. I'm going to talk about the effects first and work my way backwards to the information (non-magic) on CD 1, so for now, some thoughts on the routines on CD 2 and 3.
For me, the highlight routine was The Assassination Game, a neat presentation for a classic mentalism routine. In Banachek's version, three listeners call up the radio and help Banaheck with the details of a crime - the supposed assassination of a famous cartoon character!
It's a delightful premise and the workings are such that you could easily add this to your regular 'live' stand-up show. Adapting it for radio was inspired.
Banachek also reveals his method for achieving a headline prediction. as Banachek points out, there are at least a thousand methods for a headline prediction. His is simple in execution and judging by the reactions of the radio personalities, pretty effective. It's good for radio, but I was less than thrilled with his method because his requires you to meet up with people a few weeks before the event, due to the necessity of having signatures to verify everything is on the up and up. To me, it's a weakness because if I have a gig in TX (I'm from NY) there's almost no chance I'm going to be able to meet with them prior to the event. Nevertheless, for a local gig, this method is sound.
Banachek also offers a fun musical routine that sounds like it plays well. This is one of those routines that is specifically suited to the radio simply because the workings would probably eliminate it from consideration for most performers' set lists. That being said, the radio performance had me absolutely amazed...and when Banachek revealed the workings, I couldn't believe he pulled it off. It's definitely one of those effects where you have to ignore how "non-sexy" the method is. Just listen to how it plays out on the radio and trust that's how it will play for you.
There are other routines, around 20 routines in all, and while most are very good, most are also things that could go right into your stand up act, too. There's booktest material, stuff with nailwriters, playing cards and so on. Some of the effects play best over the radio, especially a card divination that Scott Wells performed on the radio.
One of the main components of many of these routines is the fact that often, the 'work' for the effect is done while music or commercials are playing and when you and the radio host are back on, you use word play to suggest that the radio host was asked to just 'think of something' and you reveal it. Used this way, even the most basic of mentalism effects can have the essence of true miracles to listeners who are unaware of envelopes switches, equivoque and so on. That's probably one of the strongest lessons in the whole set.
Interestingly, although the CDs are called "Radio Magic," most of the material is mentalism-based. Because we're talking about radio, this makes sense, as you can easily 'read minds' of listeners and/or the radio host but on the flip side, asking the radio host to describe a manipulation act to listeners is not going to be effective..."OK, folks, Mr. Amazing has one red sponge ball...no, wait, he has two...no wait, he has three....now he's putting them in my hand....I've opened my hand and oh my! I have 20 red spongeballs in my hand!" Not good radio!
So, let the buyer be aware of the fact that he/she is really purchasing "Radio Mentalism" with these disks. To me, this is perfectly fine as I prefer mentalism over magic when performing for most adults in most situations.
THE "BUSINESS" SIDE OF RADIO MAGIC: OK, disk #1 is about the nuts and bolts side of performing on the radio. As Banachek admits, you're not getting a dime for performing on the radio...but the publicity the exposure can get for you is amazing, which is the whole reason I bought these disks.
Banachek gets into the need for a 'hook' to get on the radio, explaining that just being a magician is NOT enough to get you on the air. He gives some examples of hooks to use, which is nice. He also mentions the fact that sometimes it's easier to "know someone" to get on the radio, which I found disheartening to say the least. What if you "don't know someone?"
To make matters worse, while he recommends you need to have a 'hook' to get on the air, Banachek does not give you any details with what to do with said 'hook.' I'm a detail guy! I would have liked to have a job title to ask for if I needed to call the radio station: "Yes, I'd like to speak to Mr. Program Manager..." That kind of thing.
Or maybe radio stations respond to such requests better through email? Or a fax? Or maybe (gasp) an honest to goodness letter? I don't know the best method nor do I know the job title to ask for. These glaring omissions made a big difference in my overall rating.
Now, to get away from the negative, there is a wealth of great information on disk 1. Issues such as timing out your performance is discussed. The different types of radio stations are discussed, including talk show formats and how to handle each.
Interestingly, while the show clips themselves were entertaining, I got the feeling (and I'm probably wrong) that Banachek was getting railroaded and tossed around by some of these guys - in other words, he'd try to verbally set up an effect and Mr. Radio Meathead would cut him off with some stupid remark or sound effect.
To be fair, I know that most radio hosts are NOT like this( I have a few radio hosts as friends)...in fact, one of the shows Banachek was on (when he did the headline prediction) did in fact sound much more mellow and laid back, allowing, perhaps, for an effect to 'breathe' before it was stomped on by Mr. Meathead Radio Dude.
The one positive I can take from this is the fact that Banachek came off as Mr. Cool - nothing was going to 'throw' him. The guy's a true pro and listening to him made it sound easy and fun.
MY OVERALL SCORE: There is a lot of terrific information here along with some great routines (many of which can even be done in your regular show) but the omission of what I feel was very relevant info (the nitty gritty details of actually getting on the air) brings my score down a bit. I'll rate these as 7 out of 10.
NEXT WEEK: Stretching The Truth
Best,
Cris Johnson
Friday, April 22, 2011
Hypno-Clinic Update and REVIEW: Levent's Salt Pour Gimmick & DVD
Hey everyone,
Cris Johnson here...barely, but I am here.:)
This blog entry will probably be a bit on the short side as I'm still sick as heck. My wife thinks it's from exhaustion and I'm not inclined to argue with her. In the last 7 days, I've hit 5 states and two parts of Canada. I'm certainly grateful for the work, but there are times when I wonder what in the world I'm doing...and then I talk to my friend Paul Romhany and hear about HIS traveling and I wonder what I'm whining about.:)
Our salon/hypno-clinic is coming along nicely...today, we had the electricians in installing exit signs and emergency lighting as per the town regulations. We should be opening in a couple of weeks. To say we're excited is an understatement.:) I also received VERY promising news from a recent weight-loss client - she's lost 12 pounds and has ZERO cravings for some of the unhealthy foods she craved in the past. This was really encouraging to me, as this is all still quite new to me.
Finally in the 'personal news,' I have to report that our chubby cat Jorge passed away this week. He was an older kitty at 14 years old. He was quite chunky, so I used to call him to bed by saying, "Come on, Fat!" He was a sweet, affectionate cat and I miss him terribly.
On to this week's review...Levent's Salt Pour Gimmick & DVD. It's available for $40.00 from Hocus Pocus. Here's the link: http://www.hocus-pocus.com/magicshop/product_detail.cfm?item=8977
EFFECT AND DESCRIPTION: A magician pours a shaker full of salt into his left fist. Suddenly the salt disappears from his left hand and reappears in a long stream from the right hand.
This legendary trick has been featured by such great magicians as Dai Vernon, Roy Benson and Fred Kaps, and it has been written about in the acclaimed book “Roy Benson By Starlight.” As a result many magicians have been hoping to include it in their acts. But the perfect gimmick has been unavailable.
Finally the wait is over! Levent, the author of “Roy Benson By Starlight” has taken Roy Benson’s original Salt Pour Gimmick and he has added many unique design features that make it by far the best gimmick ever produced.
Custom molded out of durable and corrosion resistant flesh-colored plastic, “Levent’s Super Salt Pour Gimmick” never requires painting or touching up.
The lightweight material is slightly translucent so that under proper stage lighting conditions the magician can see exactly how much salt remains in the gimmick as the salt is reproduced. This feature is crucial for magicians that wish to choreograph their salt pour routine to recorded music.
The following are among the advanced physical features:
A very large flared opening which makes it effortless to fill with salt and allows it to be thumb palmed very securely;
A high salt capacity egg-shape that ergonomically conforms to the shape of your closed fist, thus making it easier to palm;
A concave base enabling the gimmick to sit upright and be ready to use in the prop case which also provides an indentation for your thumb making it easier to do the Benson “Turnover Move” as well as allow for better control during Vernon’s salt flow control technique.
The gimmick includes a DVD, in which Levent teaches the various Salt Pour techniques from the past masters of magic such as Dai Vernon, Roy Benson, Ross Bertram and Fred Kaps. Levent’s comprehensive lessons show the real secrets, such as how to covertly introduce the gimmick into your hands at the start of the routine, how to control the flow of salt when it is reproduced and how to secretly ditch the gimmick at the conclusion.
Additionally, Levent gives the Salt Pour historical context by explaining its progenitor, namely the legendary Tobacco Sleeving routine of the vaudeville headliner Emil Jarrow.
Levent also teaches the entire Salt Pour routine that he currently performs in his comedy magic act. Plus, he includes multiple variations such as the production of the salt from both fists. Finally as a bonus he reveals the secret of his earlier routine in which a borrowed wrist watch is transformed into an hourglass, the sand from the hourglass is used for the Salt Pour trick and at the finale the sand magically transforms back to the borrowed watch.
“This is the best salt pour gimmick ever made, it is the REAL work!” -- John Thompson
“This is not only the best gimmick I’ve ever worked with for the Salt Pour, but the DVD is absolute GOLD! Even if you don’t want to do the salt pour, it is an education in magic to watch this DVD.” -- Marc DeSouza
“It is perfection.” -- Pete Biro
“This is prestidigitation of the highest order... Your DVD and gimmick are simply the best. This is one of the best buys I ever made!” -- Jean-Guy Aubry
“This is a brilliant, well designed and superior prop.” -- Harry Murphy
WHAT YOU RECEIVE: An incredibly well made plastic gimmick, pictured in the ad and a very comprehensive DVD.
QUALITY: The gimmick itself is very well made, of tough plastic. The shape and design of the gimmick is such that it's easier to conceal and handle in the hands and pour the salt. It's also slightly translucent, allowing users to see how much salt is left in the gimmick. This is a terrific value.
The DVD itself is nicely produced and Levent himself gives the buyer an incredible history of the salt pour as well as in-depth teaching of not only his own handling but also the history of the effect, details on the different gimmicks over the years and most impressively, detailed handlings from several great magicians over the decades.
This is in particular a terrific value as this gives the buyer the option of selecting the handling he/she likes the best.
MY THOUGHTS: I've always been fascinated by the salt pour and recently, I needed a new non-verbal, music effect to start my shows for repeat audiences (typically I use either Kevin James' bowling ball effect or my parasol routine for first-time audiences).
I love the simplicity of the effect, how it's really a rather small effect but one that can play for large audiences. It's also a splendid example of skill magic (manipulation) but the angles are not nearly as bad with some of the handlings as other manipulation effects such as card palming or billiard balls, meaning this will play in more venues.
ANGLES: As I mentioned, the angles on many of the handlings Levent presents are pretty forgiving for manipulation-type magic. You wouldn't want to do it surounded, but as I often say, if you're doing stage magic completely surrounded, in my view, you're in hell.:)
MARKETS: This is, to me, the rare effect that would probably play well to nearly any age audience, with the possible example of the difficult teen market.:)
DIFFICULTY: Some of the handlings are tougher than others, but most are in the 5 out of 10 range in terms of technical difficulty. It's not going to take a year of your life to get a handle on this but at the same time, this is certainly not something that you can do right out of the box. I feel this is within reach of anyone willing to put in some work.
MORE THOUGHTS: After watching the terrific DVD and working a bit with the gimmick, I must confess I'm flabberghasted as to why anyone would pay $300 for a salt pour gimmick. Bear in mind, I'm not opposed to spending a lot for a good quality magic effect or routine (I have a lot of high priced stuff) but I can't see how, if you're interested in this classic effect of magic, how you could do any better than this version.
I give it a perfect 10 out of 10.
NEXT WEEK: I tackle an older release, Banachek's Radio Magic CDs.
Best,
Cris Johnson
Cris Johnson here...barely, but I am here.:)
This blog entry will probably be a bit on the short side as I'm still sick as heck. My wife thinks it's from exhaustion and I'm not inclined to argue with her. In the last 7 days, I've hit 5 states and two parts of Canada. I'm certainly grateful for the work, but there are times when I wonder what in the world I'm doing...and then I talk to my friend Paul Romhany and hear about HIS traveling and I wonder what I'm whining about.:)
Our salon/hypno-clinic is coming along nicely...today, we had the electricians in installing exit signs and emergency lighting as per the town regulations. We should be opening in a couple of weeks. To say we're excited is an understatement.:) I also received VERY promising news from a recent weight-loss client - she's lost 12 pounds and has ZERO cravings for some of the unhealthy foods she craved in the past. This was really encouraging to me, as this is all still quite new to me.
Finally in the 'personal news,' I have to report that our chubby cat Jorge passed away this week. He was an older kitty at 14 years old. He was quite chunky, so I used to call him to bed by saying, "Come on, Fat!" He was a sweet, affectionate cat and I miss him terribly.
On to this week's review...Levent's Salt Pour Gimmick & DVD. It's available for $40.00 from Hocus Pocus. Here's the link: http://www.hocus-pocus.com/magicshop/product_detail.cfm?item=8977
EFFECT AND DESCRIPTION: A magician pours a shaker full of salt into his left fist. Suddenly the salt disappears from his left hand and reappears in a long stream from the right hand.
This legendary trick has been featured by such great magicians as Dai Vernon, Roy Benson and Fred Kaps, and it has been written about in the acclaimed book “Roy Benson By Starlight.” As a result many magicians have been hoping to include it in their acts. But the perfect gimmick has been unavailable.
Finally the wait is over! Levent, the author of “Roy Benson By Starlight” has taken Roy Benson’s original Salt Pour Gimmick and he has added many unique design features that make it by far the best gimmick ever produced.
Custom molded out of durable and corrosion resistant flesh-colored plastic, “Levent’s Super Salt Pour Gimmick” never requires painting or touching up.
The lightweight material is slightly translucent so that under proper stage lighting conditions the magician can see exactly how much salt remains in the gimmick as the salt is reproduced. This feature is crucial for magicians that wish to choreograph their salt pour routine to recorded music.
The following are among the advanced physical features:
A very large flared opening which makes it effortless to fill with salt and allows it to be thumb palmed very securely;
A high salt capacity egg-shape that ergonomically conforms to the shape of your closed fist, thus making it easier to palm;
A concave base enabling the gimmick to sit upright and be ready to use in the prop case which also provides an indentation for your thumb making it easier to do the Benson “Turnover Move” as well as allow for better control during Vernon’s salt flow control technique.
The gimmick includes a DVD, in which Levent teaches the various Salt Pour techniques from the past masters of magic such as Dai Vernon, Roy Benson, Ross Bertram and Fred Kaps. Levent’s comprehensive lessons show the real secrets, such as how to covertly introduce the gimmick into your hands at the start of the routine, how to control the flow of salt when it is reproduced and how to secretly ditch the gimmick at the conclusion.
Additionally, Levent gives the Salt Pour historical context by explaining its progenitor, namely the legendary Tobacco Sleeving routine of the vaudeville headliner Emil Jarrow.
Levent also teaches the entire Salt Pour routine that he currently performs in his comedy magic act. Plus, he includes multiple variations such as the production of the salt from both fists. Finally as a bonus he reveals the secret of his earlier routine in which a borrowed wrist watch is transformed into an hourglass, the sand from the hourglass is used for the Salt Pour trick and at the finale the sand magically transforms back to the borrowed watch.
“This is the best salt pour gimmick ever made, it is the REAL work!” -- John Thompson
“This is not only the best gimmick I’ve ever worked with for the Salt Pour, but the DVD is absolute GOLD! Even if you don’t want to do the salt pour, it is an education in magic to watch this DVD.” -- Marc DeSouza
“It is perfection.” -- Pete Biro
“This is prestidigitation of the highest order... Your DVD and gimmick are simply the best. This is one of the best buys I ever made!” -- Jean-Guy Aubry
“This is a brilliant, well designed and superior prop.” -- Harry Murphy
WHAT YOU RECEIVE: An incredibly well made plastic gimmick, pictured in the ad and a very comprehensive DVD.
QUALITY: The gimmick itself is very well made, of tough plastic. The shape and design of the gimmick is such that it's easier to conceal and handle in the hands and pour the salt. It's also slightly translucent, allowing users to see how much salt is left in the gimmick. This is a terrific value.
The DVD itself is nicely produced and Levent himself gives the buyer an incredible history of the salt pour as well as in-depth teaching of not only his own handling but also the history of the effect, details on the different gimmicks over the years and most impressively, detailed handlings from several great magicians over the decades.
This is in particular a terrific value as this gives the buyer the option of selecting the handling he/she likes the best.
MY THOUGHTS: I've always been fascinated by the salt pour and recently, I needed a new non-verbal, music effect to start my shows for repeat audiences (typically I use either Kevin James' bowling ball effect or my parasol routine for first-time audiences).
I love the simplicity of the effect, how it's really a rather small effect but one that can play for large audiences. It's also a splendid example of skill magic (manipulation) but the angles are not nearly as bad with some of the handlings as other manipulation effects such as card palming or billiard balls, meaning this will play in more venues.
ANGLES: As I mentioned, the angles on many of the handlings Levent presents are pretty forgiving for manipulation-type magic. You wouldn't want to do it surounded, but as I often say, if you're doing stage magic completely surrounded, in my view, you're in hell.:)
MARKETS: This is, to me, the rare effect that would probably play well to nearly any age audience, with the possible example of the difficult teen market.:)
DIFFICULTY: Some of the handlings are tougher than others, but most are in the 5 out of 10 range in terms of technical difficulty. It's not going to take a year of your life to get a handle on this but at the same time, this is certainly not something that you can do right out of the box. I feel this is within reach of anyone willing to put in some work.
MORE THOUGHTS: After watching the terrific DVD and working a bit with the gimmick, I must confess I'm flabberghasted as to why anyone would pay $300 for a salt pour gimmick. Bear in mind, I'm not opposed to spending a lot for a good quality magic effect or routine (I have a lot of high priced stuff) but I can't see how, if you're interested in this classic effect of magic, how you could do any better than this version.
I give it a perfect 10 out of 10.
NEXT WEEK: I tackle an older release, Banachek's Radio Magic CDs.
Best,
Cris Johnson
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Ill-Mannered Magician and REVIEW: The Moment by Mathew Johnson & Christopher Taylor
Hi all,
SO sleepy today...One of the pitfalls of booking oneself is not checking your calendar carefully. Last night was a key example: I finished up one school by 3:00PM and had to drive 7.5 hours home to make a 7:00AM school assembly. With traffic delays, I got home by 12:30AM, got up, did that show, then had to drive 5.5 hours for tomorrow's show...I LOVE my job, but there are times I don't schedule myself like a human.:)
On another note, at a school I performed at this week, a teacher introduced herself to me as a part-time clown/magician/entertainment agent. She said she was really excited to see me perform...so imagine my surprise and irritation when she stared fixedly at me for the majority of the show with a bored expression on her face. When she wasn't staring at me looking bored, she was talking to teachers saying things like, "Oh, I do that," or "I know how that's done." She was so obvious what she was saying - I was able to easily read her lips. Talk about a BAD example for kids...and the true irony was the fact that I was hired for that school to perform my "No Bullies" show!
If anyone reading this is new to magic, remember...the classy, SMART magician is polite enough to smile and clap and enjoy the show. Doing anything other will only reveal a magician to be rude, small-minded and...rude. (Told you I was tired.)
It really bugged me because my school shows ROCK. Oh, well, Everyone else loved the show...because the principal told me how much the teachers enjoyed the show.:)
Onto the review: It's The Moment by Mathew Johnson & Christopher Taylor. It's available for $199.95 from Hocus Pocus. Here's the link: http://www.hocus-pocus.com/magicshop/product_detail.cfm?item=16393
THE AD COPY: Predict The Future With A Borrowed Cell Phone!
Who? Where? What? When? Why?
Who? ? Anyone! A spectator or someone chosen at random in a crowd of people.
Where? ? Close-up, on the street, on stage, anywhere!
What? ? Predict the exact moment when ?.
* The woman in red enters the bar The blue car drives by
* The correct object is chosen
* The selected card is dealt
* Limitless Possibilities!
When ? Borrow a cell phone anywhere in the world and set the timer/alarm to any random time, 20 seconds, 38 seconds, 1 minute and 20 seconds, it does not matter! The moment the time runs out on the cell phone the predicted event WILL occur!
Why? ? Because NOW you can! Other ideas include: The performer writes something on a piece of paper and crumples it up. The ball of paper is passed around the group like a hot-potato until the timer on a borrowed cellphone goes off. The participant holding the ball at that moment opens it to find it says, "The moment will be when, [his name] is holding this piece of paper".
PLEASE NOTE: TV performance rights are withheld. Please contact Christopher Taylor for details.
WHAT YOU RECEIVE: An explanation DVD, The Moment electronics, the remote and the paper and pad to write your predictions
QUALITY OF AD: Oddly, I found the ad itself to be a little confusing as to the nature of the effect, so if you're as confused as I was, be sure to watch the videos right on the page. I'm glad they had videos because I found the ad copy rather underwhelming, which is funny, because most ads over promise and under deliver!
QUALITY OF PROPS: Top notch! Everything works perfectly after multiple tests, so I feel very good about adding this to my set list. I had a pretty good idea of how this worked, but I was a little surprised at the location of some of the electronics, in that they're hidden in 'plain sight,' which aids mightily in the working of the effect in terms of naturalness. 10 out of 10.
QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION: Without getting into specifics as to WHAT the electronics actually do, I will say that one of the things I LOVE about this product is the fact that Christopher and Mathew take the time to teach some specifics as to working of the remote. The remote can be used in the pocket but they feel the effect is strengthened by being "hands off," so the remote also has a toe switch built into it.
I myself have tried using a toe switch for one other effect and I never had it set right, so every time I tried using it during the show, I was trying to wiggle my toes in my shoes to get the the toe switch into proper place in my shoe. After that, I've never tried to use it as a toe switch...
Well, after watching The Moment's DVD, I'm now convinced that even I can use a tow switch successfully in a show. Top notch teaching here, and a real pleasant surprise. 10 out of 10.
DIFFICULTY: Once you understand the workings, the difficulty from a technical standpoint is easily a 1 out of 10. Of course, for an effect like this, the real work comes from presentation and paying attention to the psychological work, spectator management, etc. Keep that in mind when you see how "easy" it is. I'm not scaring anyone off, just saying (as I always do) that I do not believe there is an "easy" magic effect.)
ANGLES: If done properly, this can be done surrounded. Everything explained in the video is in the context of a close up setting or a small get together. For stage, this should be simple indeed.
MARKETS: I can see this playing well for middle school kids, high schoolers, college or adult groups. I don't believe young kids will care about the phone ringing in conjunction with a magic trick - I think they'll believe someone called in the middle of a trick, interrupting it. I could be wrong, but those are my instincts.
MY THOUGHTS: I love this. Once you know the secret, you'll realize just how much of a utility device this is, meaning you can create a lot of really neat routines with it. One caveat: If you're using this onstage as I intend to, The Moment will only cause the spectator's phone to ring on vibrate. For a stage setting, you'd think this would be a let down, but actually, the creators have come up with a creative solution and after a few private emails with Mr. Taylor, my concerns disappeared and I took the plunge and bought it. I'm glad I did, because of all of the bits of psychology are followed, I can see this being a real fooler.
I highly recommend this and can't wait to start using it. 10 out of 10.
NEXT WEEK: Levent's Ultimate Salt Pour Gimmick and DVD
Best,
Cris Johnson
SO sleepy today...One of the pitfalls of booking oneself is not checking your calendar carefully. Last night was a key example: I finished up one school by 3:00PM and had to drive 7.5 hours home to make a 7:00AM school assembly. With traffic delays, I got home by 12:30AM, got up, did that show, then had to drive 5.5 hours for tomorrow's show...I LOVE my job, but there are times I don't schedule myself like a human.:)
On another note, at a school I performed at this week, a teacher introduced herself to me as a part-time clown/magician/entertainment agent. She said she was really excited to see me perform...so imagine my surprise and irritation when she stared fixedly at me for the majority of the show with a bored expression on her face. When she wasn't staring at me looking bored, she was talking to teachers saying things like, "Oh, I do that," or "I know how that's done." She was so obvious what she was saying - I was able to easily read her lips. Talk about a BAD example for kids...and the true irony was the fact that I was hired for that school to perform my "No Bullies" show!
If anyone reading this is new to magic, remember...the classy, SMART magician is polite enough to smile and clap and enjoy the show. Doing anything other will only reveal a magician to be rude, small-minded and...rude. (Told you I was tired.)
It really bugged me because my school shows ROCK. Oh, well, Everyone else loved the show...because the principal told me how much the teachers enjoyed the show.:)
Onto the review: It's The Moment by Mathew Johnson & Christopher Taylor. It's available for $199.95 from Hocus Pocus. Here's the link: http://www.hocus-pocus.com/magicshop/product_detail.cfm?item=16393
THE AD COPY: Predict The Future With A Borrowed Cell Phone!
Who? Where? What? When? Why?
Who? ? Anyone! A spectator or someone chosen at random in a crowd of people.
Where? ? Close-up, on the street, on stage, anywhere!
What? ? Predict the exact moment when ?.
* The woman in red enters the bar The blue car drives by
* The correct object is chosen
* The selected card is dealt
* Limitless Possibilities!
When ? Borrow a cell phone anywhere in the world and set the timer/alarm to any random time, 20 seconds, 38 seconds, 1 minute and 20 seconds, it does not matter! The moment the time runs out on the cell phone the predicted event WILL occur!
Why? ? Because NOW you can! Other ideas include: The performer writes something on a piece of paper and crumples it up. The ball of paper is passed around the group like a hot-potato until the timer on a borrowed cellphone goes off. The participant holding the ball at that moment opens it to find it says, "The moment will be when, [his name] is holding this piece of paper".
PLEASE NOTE: TV performance rights are withheld. Please contact Christopher Taylor for details.
WHAT YOU RECEIVE: An explanation DVD, The Moment electronics, the remote and the paper and pad to write your predictions
QUALITY OF AD: Oddly, I found the ad itself to be a little confusing as to the nature of the effect, so if you're as confused as I was, be sure to watch the videos right on the page. I'm glad they had videos because I found the ad copy rather underwhelming, which is funny, because most ads over promise and under deliver!
QUALITY OF PROPS: Top notch! Everything works perfectly after multiple tests, so I feel very good about adding this to my set list. I had a pretty good idea of how this worked, but I was a little surprised at the location of some of the electronics, in that they're hidden in 'plain sight,' which aids mightily in the working of the effect in terms of naturalness. 10 out of 10.
QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION: Without getting into specifics as to WHAT the electronics actually do, I will say that one of the things I LOVE about this product is the fact that Christopher and Mathew take the time to teach some specifics as to working of the remote. The remote can be used in the pocket but they feel the effect is strengthened by being "hands off," so the remote also has a toe switch built into it.
I myself have tried using a toe switch for one other effect and I never had it set right, so every time I tried using it during the show, I was trying to wiggle my toes in my shoes to get the the toe switch into proper place in my shoe. After that, I've never tried to use it as a toe switch...
Well, after watching The Moment's DVD, I'm now convinced that even I can use a tow switch successfully in a show. Top notch teaching here, and a real pleasant surprise. 10 out of 10.
DIFFICULTY: Once you understand the workings, the difficulty from a technical standpoint is easily a 1 out of 10. Of course, for an effect like this, the real work comes from presentation and paying attention to the psychological work, spectator management, etc. Keep that in mind when you see how "easy" it is. I'm not scaring anyone off, just saying (as I always do) that I do not believe there is an "easy" magic effect.)
ANGLES: If done properly, this can be done surrounded. Everything explained in the video is in the context of a close up setting or a small get together. For stage, this should be simple indeed.
MARKETS: I can see this playing well for middle school kids, high schoolers, college or adult groups. I don't believe young kids will care about the phone ringing in conjunction with a magic trick - I think they'll believe someone called in the middle of a trick, interrupting it. I could be wrong, but those are my instincts.
MY THOUGHTS: I love this. Once you know the secret, you'll realize just how much of a utility device this is, meaning you can create a lot of really neat routines with it. One caveat: If you're using this onstage as I intend to, The Moment will only cause the spectator's phone to ring on vibrate. For a stage setting, you'd think this would be a let down, but actually, the creators have come up with a creative solution and after a few private emails with Mr. Taylor, my concerns disappeared and I took the plunge and bought it. I'm glad I did, because of all of the bits of psychology are followed, I can see this being a real fooler.
I highly recommend this and can't wait to start using it. 10 out of 10.
NEXT WEEK: Levent's Ultimate Salt Pour Gimmick and DVD
Best,
Cris Johnson
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