AMBITION

This week I’m working on an ambitious card routine. Nothing Earth-shattering: just a nice routine. It’s based on Bruce Elliot’s routine in “Great Secrets of the Master Magicians” first published in 1953. Although I have cut some things and added others, nothing in this routine is my own. I think it has a pretty nice flow. The reason for working on this routine is because it is a perfect oportunity to sneak in my newly aquired classic pass. As mentioned in a previous post I’ve been working for months on this essential sleight. In this particular routine of assorted and lovely bits I use a classic pass and a turn-over pass, lots of double lifts (of course!) and the tilt move. I like to finish with the "Pop Up Card" from Jean Hugard's "Expert Card Technique". I’m really excited to try it out! Once I'm confident with that classic pass, many previously closed doors will be kicked wide open!

Winged Silver: Post Flight

There is no feeling like successfully performing a piece of sleight-of-hand drawn from a book, diligently practiced and altered to fit one’s own style. I have done coin tricks since I was a kid and all through my 20’s and into my 30’s. But I don’t think I have ever had such a strong reaction as I received performing “Winged Silver” as it appears in J.B. Bobo’s “Modern Coin Magic”. It took about a week to work it out. I performed it 5 times for my 5 classes. (Every Friday I do a magic trick for my students). High school kids can be a surly and cynical lot. So when they were blown away by this beautiful 100% sleight-of-hand routine, I knew I had a winner on my hands. I thought my own coin transposition was good. But Hahne’s routine is a knock out! I added a few twists of my own including a surprise climax.
Area for improvement: Although the sleight used for the tossing action is not difficult, I’m still not satisfied with it. It works. It does exactly what it is supposed to do. But I want it to look more magical. I want it to look as though the coin dissolves as it is being thrown. I will continue working on this minor subtlety. I’m sure I’ll find something I will be happy with. All in all I am excited about adding this gem to my repertoire.
The quest to revive and improve my legerdemain skills is well under way. My first few steps have been rewarding. I have many miles to go, many sleights to master and a heap of creativity to muster. I have some wonderful books, lots of patience and a supportive family. I have asked God to help me find my place. I have been searching for a way to serve. I was also hungry for artistic expression. I have found all three. God doesn’t do what we want him to do. But if we are mindful of God, I believe, we are more likely to find our center. And with that comes peace and fulfillment. There may just be hope for this old knucklehead after all.

Winged Silver WIP

The more I work on this winged silver routine the more I like it. In "Modern Coin Magic" Bobo credits this effect to Nelson C. Hahne. I’m currently working on the “Improved Version” of it. What strikes me about this effect is its reliance on timing and misdirection. The sleights themselves are not difficult. I have a decent and natural looking classic palm so that’s not a problem. But I have to admit that I’m really struggling with the timing and misdirection. For example, a coin must be vanished by tossing it invisibly from the right hand to the left hand. Moving the coin from the finger tips and into position is easy in and of itself. The problem is making it look magical. The other difficulty is the move that creates a clean finish at the end. Again, not a difficult move, but I feel like I’m making circles on my stomach and tapping the top of my head. It seems so easy, but I’m having a hard time following the path of the “thrown” coin with my eyes while making myself clean. I am getting it. It’s slow going, but it’s coming along. Good thing too. Friday will be here soon. This is the first “new” routine I have worked on since getting back into magic. It is deliciously frustrating! I love a fine coin routine. Once I get this worked out, I’ve got my eye on Dai Vernon’s “Five Coins and a Glass”. Brilliant elegance! I hope I can do it justice.


On another note, my classic pass is improving. I have it up to about 90%. Soon I'll be ready to perform it with confidence. One hundred to two hundred times a day. That's the ticket. I have also cleaned up my invisible turn over pass a la Paul LePaul. This will hold me until my classic pass is ready.

Winged Silver

There are few things in the realm of legerdemain more beautiful than a cleverly designed and professionally executed coin routine. What I wouldn’t give to experience first-hand T. Nelson Downs performing the Miser’s Dream! Imagine being totally enthralled by coin magic from the 23rd row. Such was the beauty and presentation of Downs.

I wonder sometimes if audiences are getting burned out on the “big Stuff”. Don't get me wrong, I love a dashing grand illusion performance. But I wonder. If audiences were aware that they were viewing pure “organic” sleight-of-hand, would they enjoy a righteous coin routine? If well presented, I believe they would. After all, why do people that don’t cook tune in to watch Mario Batali roll a tortellini? Or people that don’t paint watch Bob Ross paint a beautiful landscape in minutes. I expect it is because people enjoy watching experts who love their craft doing what they do best with joy and enthusiasm. Each one of us has a gift. Why hide it under a bushel basket? There is joy to be had!
At present I am working on a pretty little coin routine from “Modern Coin Magic” by Bobo. For years I have passed this gem by without giving it much thought. It is one of the routines from the “Winged Silver” section. Back in the day I had my own handling of a 4 silver dollar transposition. A nice routine that served me well but there is something special about this effect I have found. It’s possible that it looks better in my imagination than it will in reality but I’m going to give it my best shot and see what kind of reaction I get.


My biggest hurtle is the thumb palm. The tendons in my right hand are pretty tight these days. A quick and smooth curl of the first two fingers in order to gracefully deposit a half dollar into thumb palm position was a piece of cake before the dreaded hand injury. I don’t mind though. Working this out is physical therapy. So really I’m working on two tasks at once. This is good.
Another aspect of this routine that challenges and excites me is the misdirection needed for the clean finish. In the old days I thought of this kind if chicanery was hokey and ineffective on modern audiences. But now I recognize its beauty. Anyone who has ever seen Slydini perform understands that old school is by no means old hat!

Upside Right

I am happy to report to myself that Saturday night’s performance went very well. The audience numbered about 300. I did 3 routines. A one-coin routine, Gene Anderson’s newspaper trick and I finished off with my own handling of the old silk to egg bit with a sucker finish. All went relatively well. Life is good! Thank God I did not repeat the dancing cane fiasco!


Okay, so I was really nervous because this was my first real performance in 20 years. Once on stage I began with a quick joke and the surprising appearance of a silver dollar. Then comes a snappy series of choreographed vanishes and reappearances. The bit ends with the appearance of a giant silver dollar. I love this routine. It is 100% sleight- of-hand and based on Eric Ford’s “Ferdinand’s Fortune”. It’s a knock-out opener suitable for close-up or stage. I am so stubborn. Years ago I inserted a coin roll (As described on page 201 of “Modern Coin Magic” by J.B. Bobo) into the routine. The roll was slow and chunky because of the recent injury to my right hand. I could have done the bit without the coin roll. But I was determined to do the routine as I had done in the past. The coin did not dance across my fingers as it once did but it did not slip or fall. It still looked good. Stage one engaged. Yes!


Next up, Gene Anderson’s newspaper trick. This was a good choice because it gave me the opportunity to tailor the routine to the audience. Fake news stories about the ministry team for example. A few people caught a glimpse of a “hidden” something during a very brief malfunction. The effect and presentation were so strong that the quick “flash” did not detract from the entertainment value of the overall effect. Stage two ignited. Niceness.


I finished with the silk to egg routine. An oldie but goodie for sure. The audience was with me the entire time. Stage three ignitions; orbit achieved. When I cracked the real egg at the end there were gasps and vocalizations of “No Way!” It just goes to show that with the right presentation, timing and build up, even the simplest effect takes on a grand quality. I learned that from David Ginn.


Usually I am very hard on myself. (See “Wizardry in the Sanctuary” below). But even with the minor imperfections I am thrilled! It may not have been the best performance of my life, but it was certainly one of the most important. The first one in 20 years and it was a clear success. I can now make myself available for fund raisers, community outreach, or hospitality. God has been very good to me. I have had many second chances. Ironically, had I not injured myself, I would not have been on that stage Saturday night. With all the other responsibilities and distractions in my life, I would have lacked the motivation. I would have stalled and procrastinated. I had been praying to find a way to deepen and strengthen my faith, but there was something I still needed to learn. The object of my search was in my back pocket all along. When I injured my hand by being stupid, God had my attention and provided me with the opportunity to see more clearly what I had been missing. It’s counter-intuitive really. I did not rededicate myself to performing magic in spite of my injury, but rather, because of it. Going through physical therapy gave me the focus and discipline I needed to rebuild and strengthen my sleight-of-hand skills. It was what I needed to take it seriously. It was a way to give meaning to a senseless injury. And it was a blessing all the way around. I recovered (pretty much) from the injury. I got my legerdemain back on line. (Still much work ahead). I’ve got a successful performance under my belt, and I now have something worthy to offer back to God. That’s what I was praying for from the start. It is so radical how God sets things right by turning them upside down!

Wizardry in the Sanctuary

It’s always amazing how the most carefully laid plans turn to waste matter.
As a fund raiser my church decided to put on an “America’s Got Talent” type variety show. Makes sense too. It’s a pretty good sized church with nice facilities and no shortage of talent. The place is packed with singers, dancers, musicians and good ‘ol story tellers. There’s a juggler and his routines are so sharp, he could have come from Las Vegas. It had recently been discovered that back in the day I could pull off a decent magic trick or two. When the organizer for the event asked if I would participate I responded with a quick “You Bet”.


I was asked to perform something during the announcements on the first Sunday of promotion for the show. Later that day I pulled down my old trunk from the attic. The nostalgia and memories pounded my soul like red spongy waves. Wow. Canes, candles, nickel-plated 10” rings, long sharp needles hungry for a balloon to pierce after 20 years of suspend animation. There were multiplying rhinestone-studded billiard balls, dove harnesses and look; my dented and beat-up old Zombie ball. Scarves of every color, ropes, chains, locks and cards. More cards than car salesman at an O.C. anonymous convention.


Now let’s see, what would be short, snappy and highly visible? Of course! The old dancing cane! For an added punch I could make it vanish at the end. Perfect.
That Saturday I practiced for hours. Over and over I practiced with more discipline than ever before. I was filled with excitement as it floated in circles beneath my hands, thrilled as it followed my commands from side to side, and bursting with elation as it sailed over my head and spun around my body! This was going to be great!


Sunday morning. I get the nod from the choir director as he was making the morning’s announcements. Down the isle I walk with cane in hand like a young society man on his way to the opera. I take my stance in front of the entire congregation. As I raise my hands, the cane floats up my fingertips. A brief dramatic pause and the cane begins its circular dance in front of my body. And then…PLOP! The dad blamed thing falls to the floor! I had to bend over to pick it up (in a special way) which took way too long. I remember thinking to myself “don’t panic”. “Just keep going”. After what seemed like two weeks I was standing and threw the cane toward the choir director. It changed direction and began its side to side motion. Then just as it was about to make its first orbit around my body, it collides with my right elbow. This sent it flying off end over end. This can’t be happening! I reached out and caught it before it could get away from me. I held it high in the air and did the vanish. Pop. It was now two silk scarves. I gave them a gentle crumple, took a bow, placed the scarves in my breast pocket and made my way back down the isle tense and visibly shaken. When I got to the foyer I made my way down the stairs and into the copier room where I had a quiet but enthusiastic melt down. A silent freak out, as it were.


I don’t know how I lost control of the cane. I was doing it all day Saturday in the garage and all night in my sleep. Not only did I feel like a total idiot, but I forgot a cardinal rule of performing. Never, never, never take things too seriously. I should have picked the bloody cane back up and said in a loud and clear voice…”I meant to do that” and made a face. Instead I allowed myself to get inside my own head. When I finally made my way back upstairs to join my family in the congregation, I was sweating profusely. My first performance in 20 years and I totally choked. What made matters worse was that this was not a gathering of strangers, but a group of people I see regularly. It was now that I remembered why I always took a couple of tequila shots before going on stage. Now that I don’t drink (not a fun guy anymore) this was no longer an option.


I began to regret pulling that old trunk from the attic, or showing my old business card to the pastor. Had I made a huge mistake? I was already committed to the talent show so I couldn’t back out. I would have to press on.


Then I was reminded of the famous story about Robert-Houdin. He was 40 years old when he gave his first major performance in Paris July 3rd, 1845. He suffered from stage fright (as I do) and by his own account that first show was a disaster. He was so upset he stayed in bed for a month after the show. He vowed never to perform magic again. But he did. Robert Houdin now is considered by most to have been the greatest magician of the 19th century. So great was his fame that a young Hungarian Immigrant Named Eric Weiss took Houdin’s name and added an “i” to the end, meaning “like” or “similar to”.


No turning back. I must continue. I may make a fool of myself, but this thing is taking on a life of its own. I have to finish what I started. The big show is coming up in a couple of days. Stay tuned…

The Pass

Over 100 years ago in one of the most important books ever written on the subject of card manipulation, S.W. Erdnase describes in detail several methods of executing the pass. (Or “shift” as it was referred to in gambling parlance). In “The Expert at the Card Table” Erdnase dedicates nearly 20 pages to this slight. He goes on to say that…”The conjurer employs the shift in nine tenths of his tricks”. Harlan Tarbell in Volume I of his monumental course in magic refers to the pass as…”One of the most important slights in card magic”. That was published in 1927. Paul LePaul in 1959 calls the pass the very “backbone” of card magic. He goes on to say…”The fact that this time-honored slight has survived through the centuries and is still used by all the better manipulators should prove that it is basically sound and well worth mastering”.



Suffice it to say, the pass should not be ignored by anyone wishing to become proficient at card manipulation. Now here’s the rub. The pass is certainly one of the most difficult slights to learn. Card man extraordinaire, Richard Kaufman puts it this way…”If you practice it 100 times a day for a year you will start to get the idea of what the pass is all about”. Whoa! It is the stuff of card work and separates the men from the boys, as it were.

Back in the day I had a decent turn-over pass, but my classic pass was junk. I got to where I thought it would never come so I relied solely on the turn-over pass. As I now try to work out my old routines as well as new ones, it’s clear that doing the same pass all the time would arouse suspicion. And one thing any slight-of-hand artist knows it is this… It does not matter if the audience is unaware of WHAT you just did. If they sense an unnatural or jerky motion, or that you did SOMETHING, the illusion is shattered. So, the pass I shall learn. Classic, Modern, Braue, Zingone and Charlier. But for now I will continue to work on the classic pass and clean up my turn-over pass. At this time my classic pass is about 85% up to scratch.


If you are reading this and you have mastered the pass; I salute you sir! If you know about the pass, but don’t think it’s important, please reread the 1st paragraph. Once the pass is mastered, a whole new world of possibilities is at the beck and call of the card worker.
After all, if it was easy, everyone would be doing it!

Please share your experiences!

Rubbing The Lamp

When I was a kid I told my mother I wanted to grow up and be a magician. After a short pause she said…”I’m sorry dear, you can’t do both”. All good jokes have a measure of truth in them.

The purpose this blog is to document and chronicle my mission to awaken and revitalize a part of myself that has been lost: Or at least sleeping for a really long time. It’s not my intention to “share” with the world my personal journey. I’m sure this quest of mine would be boring to anyone else. Someone suggested I track my progress on a blog. I liked the idea of using blogage as a form of commitment. I am more likely to press forward if my progress and discipline are “out there” for anyone to see. But before I begin, a little background if you please.

When I was 10 years old I was not a very good student. (That would continue to be the case through high school). I wasn’t very good at sports either. Little league baseball was nothing short of a nightmare. The kids were alright. It was the Dads. Aaarrrrgh! Then without warning, I stumbled into something unexpected. Kids trade stuff. And one day in a trade I wound up with a 15-page catalogue from Abbott’s Magic Shop located in Colon, Michigan. Hey! Here was something different! How cool would it be to do that! My first via post purchase was a set of multiplying billiard balls. They were 1 inch in diameter, made of wood, red and I was hooked! My first trip to a magic shop was Al Flosso's shop in NYC. I was just a kid and didn't know I was in the presence of greatness. He was great though. I went home with a Rising Wand, a Svengali deck and a pair of Chinese Sticks. All very good quality too.

By the time I got to High School I had discovered my niche as an athlete. Track and Field. I also had a reputation as a magician of some note. I joined The Society of American Magicians, went to magic club meetings and performed at school and community functions. I even had an assistant. The lovely and talented Jodi I. Actually "assistant doesn't really cover it. She was a performer, creative consultant, director and all around cutie! We were a pretty sweet team.

After High School I wasted a lot of time and did not take life very seriously. But a few years later a good friend believed in me enough to assist me in moving toward becoming a professional. I really took my skill to a new level. I was making a bit of money, but not enough. I was becoming a decent magician but I lacked confidence, knowledge and single-minded drive needed to really build a career out of it. If you’re out there E.W., Thank You. And I’m sorry I was such a knucklehead.

Back to college. Major: Physics and Education. While there I met an angel in a pink dress. We got married a year later, finished school, and started our careers. She: a nurse, And I, a physics teacher. We started our family, bought a house, got involved at church and so it goes. Life is good. Magic was the furthest thing from my mind. Once and a while I would do a little something for my students or my kids, but that’s about it. About a year ago we took our kids to a Disney Mickey Mouse Magic Show. It was pretty good really. The magic was performed by two gents in their early 20’s. They interacted with the audience like seasoned professionals. Quite good. Was that jealousy I was feeling? No. It was something else. It was not a negative emotion. It was more like I was seeing myself and Jodi up on that stage and wondering why it never panned out. It was not regret either. After all, I’ve got a great marriage, a fine career and wonderful children. No. No regrets. Just…well, what was it? Guilt? Guilt for abandoning a gift that was once so important to me? Maybe. What ever it was I felt like I should be doing something. Maybe it was time to bring my billiard balls out of mothballs.

Then suddenly, there was the injury. A stupid, meaningless injury to my right hand. My fault. Did I mention stupid? My hand will never be good as new. (My pinky is a little shorter and a couple of tendons are kind of messed up). My physical therapists were kind task masters and really knew their stuff. But now I had to somehow give meaning to this injury. I couldn’t let it be for nothing. I would have to use it as a way of evolving into a better self. Here’s what I’ve come up with…

God gives everybody a gift. It is up to us to discover and use it as a unique form of praise. I still cared about my gift but was not using it. I took it for granted and assumed it would always be there. Well it won’t always be there. I felt like God was telling me that since I was searching for a way to serve, I could best serve him by using the talent He gave me. (Wizardry for Jesus; Now there's a concept)! But if this was something I really wanted to do, it would have to have meaning. It could not be glib, cheesy or casual. I would have to work for it. That is, start from scratch and re-train my right hand to achieve the strength, subtleness and flexibility necessary for quality close up and parlor magic. I would not have to be as good as I was before. I would have to be better! Way better.

Now it just so happened that at this time that my church was scouring the congregation to identify each member’s personal talents. Coincidence? I guess that depends on one’s perspective. I choose to believe that if we yield to God we will be led toward our fullest potential. (Yielding to God’s will has never been my strong suit). Anyway, when I showed my pastor my old business card with the magic wand on it, his eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. No turning back now. Done deal. Empty bag, no cat. You get the picture. Not long after that I saw a sign in a store window that said… “It’s never too late to be what you could have been”. That sealed it.

So here’s the poop. I have brought down my magic books and trunk-o-stuff from the attic. I will dive back into the realm of legerdemain. I will begin at the beginning. Tarbell’s Course in Magic Volume I. I will do one of three things every week…
1. Become proficient with a challenging and useful slight.
2. Retrain my hand to do an old favorite. (Only better).
3. Learn an entirely new effect and perform it flawlessly.
I will do at least one of these three things every week until the end of June 2010. I have a nice library rich with material. Every Friday I will perform the effect for each of my classes at school. As a teacher I literally have a captive audience. They shall be forcefully subjected to many wonders! On the following Wednesday night, I will perform that effect for my church friends at dinner. I will post at least twice a week. Once to explain what I'm working on and comments on progress, and again to reflect on the illusion’s mastery, effectiveness and presentation.

That’s it for now. Dr. Harlan Tarbell! I am back. It’s good to see you again old friend…