Search found 491 matches

by Michael Close
March 18th, 2024, 12:28 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: New Ebook from Michael Close
Replies: 0
Views: 132

New Ebook from Michael Close

For those of you not on my mailing list: I’m happy to announce the release of my new ebook, The Well-Tuned Magician: Analyzing and Refining Your Magic Routines . It reveals the strategies I use to create the most astonishing and entertaining routines possible – techniques I’ve used with my private s...
by Michael Close
January 3rd, 2024, 12:02 pm
Forum: Marketing & Magic Business
Topic: The Aretalogy of Vanni Bossi
Replies: 8
Views: 2239

Re: The Aretalogy of Vanni Bossi

I think many prospective purchases base their buying decision on having seen some of the material performed. Vanni made a few US convention appearances, and he died almost eight years before the book was published. Consequently, it's possible folks just didn't realize how great his material is. He w...
by Michael Close
December 28th, 2023, 12:17 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Engblom Triumph
Replies: 14
Views: 1451

Re: Engblom Triumph

Just to put your mind at ease, Richard. No deck switch; deck is examinable at the end.

Christian has sold this method for a number a years. It appears to be sold out everywhere right now.
by Michael Close
December 28th, 2023, 11:58 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Engblom Triumph
Replies: 14
Views: 1451

Re: Engblom Triumph

There are no edits to aid in the deception. (That's not how we do things on Fool Us.) That tricks looks exactly the same if you were sitting at the table with Christian. It is an exquisitely ingenious method, expertly performed. No logical explanation seems possible; no rationalized explanation sati...
by Michael Close
December 28th, 2023, 10:22 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Engblom Triumph
Replies: 14
Views: 1451

Re: Engblom Triumph

Hi Phillipe:

I may be misinterpreting your post, but I see no way this routine is too perfect.

Michael Close
by Michael Close
November 13th, 2023, 3:37 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: New Fool Us Host?
Replies: 13
Views: 2618

Re: New Fool Us Host?

I worked with Jonathan Ross on season two of Fool Us (the first season for me). He really spoiled us. He was funny, engaged, a fantastic interviewer, and possessed of seemingly endless energy. (During the pauses between acts, Jonathan usually stayed on stage and interacted with the audience.) Brooke...
by Michael Close
November 25th, 2022, 6:46 pm
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: ZOMBIE Hand-Little Hand New Version
Replies: 47
Views: 8128

Re: ZOMBIE Hand-Little Hand New Version

I read that book in 1973 and it changed my life.
by Michael Close
October 9th, 2022, 7:16 pm
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: Trick with Casino "Cut Card"
Replies: 6
Views: 1446

Re: Trick with Casino "Cut Card"

One of the nice things about The Luckiest Cards in Las Vegas is that the estimation is extremely forgiving.
by Michael Close
October 9th, 2022, 5:39 pm
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: Trick with Casino "Cut Card"
Replies: 6
Views: 1446

Re: Trick with Casino "Cut Card"

My effect, The Luckiest Cards in Las Vegas, uses two cut cards. It's a memorized deck effect (stack independent). It's in Closely Guarded Secrets. It's still one of my favorite memdeck routines.
by Michael Close
September 10th, 2022, 2:34 pm
Forum: Mentalism & Mental Magic
Topic: Dani DaOrtiz Freedom of Expression
Replies: 9
Views: 3922

Re: Dani DaOrtiz Freedom of Expression

The next edition of my newsletter (coming out in a day or so) will have my review of Dani's book and a seventy-minute interview with him, during which he clarifies and expands on several of the strategies discussed in the book. It will be available in the members-only section. (It is free to sign up...
by Michael Close
March 6th, 2022, 12:12 pm
Forum: Mentalism & Mental Magic
Topic: George Sands' "An Oddity"
Replies: 15
Views: 4447

Re: George Sands' "An Oddity"

Bob: I sent you an email.
by Michael Close
October 17th, 2021, 12:38 pm
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: ZOMBIE Hand-Little Hand New Version
Replies: 47
Views: 8128

Re: ZOMBIE Hand-Little Hand New Version

I'm not sure when Bob first showed me the little hand idea, but it was probably forty years ago. When you could still smoke in bars, I used a green monster hand that emerges from my cupped hands after I had blown smoke inside. I never showed this to magicians; it is inevitable someone else would com...
by Michael Close
November 23rd, 2020, 2:48 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Card size survey
Replies: 46
Views: 4906

Re: Card size survey

I think I commented about this on Nikola's blog when she first posted about this subject. I can only think of three sleights that cause difficulty if you have a very small hand: 1) palming a card into classic palm position; 2) one-handed shuffles and cuts; 3) the classic pass. The simple solution fo...
by Michael Close
November 18th, 2020, 2:13 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Penn & Teller: Fool Us renewed for Season 8
Replies: 3
Views: 1304

Penn & Teller: Fool Us renewed for Season 8

Well, here's some fun news for all of you from the executive producers of Penn & Teller: Fool Us. 1. We just finished shooting the second half of season 7 at the (empty) Rio in Las Vegas, for a total of twenty-six episodes this year, including our one-hundredth episode. Go Magic! 2. New episodes...
by Michael Close
July 9th, 2020, 1:51 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Fool US
Replies: 136
Views: 18878

Re: Fool US

Penn really loved Wes Iseli's routine.

The "bust" was one of my favorites of all the seasons I've worked on.
by Michael Close
July 8th, 2020, 9:48 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Fool US
Replies: 136
Views: 18878

Re: Fool US

Fool Us has been renewed for an eighth season.

Audition videos should be sent to fooluscasting@gmail.com. Routines should be five minutes or less.

No date for recording season eight has been posted.
by Michael Close
June 29th, 2020, 1:21 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Remembering Louis Falanga
Replies: 16
Views: 4243

Re: Remembering Louis Falanga

I am happy to have been a part of the historical legacy left by Louis Falanga and L&L Publishing. On both of my visits to Lake Tahoe to record videos, he was the perfect host, making every effort to ensure my comfort, during the recording sessions and during the down time. I talked about recordi...
by Michael Close
April 24th, 2020, 2:01 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Jay Marshall
Replies: 14
Views: 3392

Re: Jay Marshall

Chris Randall: I did my talk about Jay yesterday. If you missed it, here's the link.

https://www.facebook.com/michaelclosema ... 179464687/

I'll be sharing a few more stories today (Friday, August 24).
by Michael Close
April 20th, 2020, 4:38 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Jay Marshall
Replies: 14
Views: 3392

Re: Jay Marshall

I became friends with Jay Marshall in 1972 when we met at Harry Riser's house. For almost twenty-five years I had the privilege of accompanying him when he performed "Lefty" at magic conventions. On Tuesday (April 21), I'll share some Jay Marshall stories during my live broadcast at my pub...
by Michael Close
March 21st, 2020, 2:22 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Live video today (March 20) from Michael Close
Replies: 8
Views: 2713

Re: Live video today (March 20) from Michael Close

Thanks for the kind words. In today's (Saturday) session, I'll share two behind-the-scenes stories from the taping of Stevens restaurant video.
by Michael Close
March 20th, 2020, 2:32 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Live video today (March 20) from Michael Close
Replies: 8
Views: 2713

Live video today (March 20) from Michael Close

Hi: Today (March 20) at 4 pm eastern time I will be broadcasting a live video from my Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/michaelclosemagic/ I have done this since Tuesday, and the response has been gratifying. (The previous videos are still available.) I discuss tricks and moves, and I offer a ...
by Michael Close
February 18th, 2020, 12:25 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Daryl's Ambitious Card Omnibus Back in Print!
Replies: 11
Views: 2891

Re: Daryl's Ambitious Card Omnibus Back in Print!

DVD means Digital Versatile Disc.

You're welcome.
by Michael Close
November 24th, 2019, 4:03 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Who is THE Expert on Self-Working Magic?
Replies: 49
Views: 5915

Re: Who is THE Expert on Self-Working Magic?

I think Steve Beam would be the guy to talk to.
by Michael Close
November 23rd, 2019, 2:57 pm
Forum: Magic History and Anecdotes
Topic: Vernon Farewell Lecture Tour
Replies: 34
Views: 5684

Re: Vernon Farewell Lecture Tour

Harry Riser organized the Vernon lecture in Indianapolis; I was in attendance. You can see a photo of Harry, Vernon, and John Railing at that event in The Feints and Temps of Harry Riser book. Harry and I had a particular question for Vernon, but we wanted to ask it in such a way that it didn't seem...
by Michael Close
November 15th, 2019, 11:50 am
Forum: General
Topic: Telling lies as a magician.
Replies: 22
Views: 6379

Re: Telling lies as a magician.

I have a 55-minute Targeted Training session titled "The Truth about Lying." This is a complex subject; I cover nine major points in my discussion of it. Concerning this training session, I recently received an email from a purchaser who found that the information was extremely useful for ...
by Michael Close
October 2nd, 2019, 7:37 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Penn & Teller: Fool Us Renewed for Season Seven
Replies: 4
Views: 3241

Penn & Teller: Fool Us Renewed for Season Seven

I have just received the official word from executive producers Andrew Golder and Lincoln Hiatt that Penn & Teller: Fool Us has been renewed for a seventh season. If you would like to submit an audition video, send it to Darren Toon at fooluscasting@gmail.com. Remember, originality is important,...
by Michael Close
September 26th, 2019, 5:26 pm
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: Nestor Hato on Fool Us
Replies: 9
Views: 5661

Re: Nestor Hato on Fool Us

I was unfamiliar with this marketed item. Consequently, Nestor's audition video (not the video on the website referenced above) fooled me completely. I know several methods for accomplishing this effect. Nestor's method isn't one of them. It looks as good from a foot away as it did on TV. No editing...
by Michael Close
September 4th, 2019, 6:51 pm
Forum: Reference Room
Topic: Vernon fools Houdini
Replies: 82
Views: 72780

Re: Vernon fools Houdini

Apparently, my routine, "The Trick that Fooled Houdini and his Whole [censored] Family," has some historical inaccuracies.

My apologies.

Close
by Michael Close
September 2nd, 2019, 3:06 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Two great performances on "Fool Us"
Replies: 13
Views: 5129

Re: Two great performances on "Fool Us"

Jack Shalom: During the live performance, Alyson's interview with the performers runs to five minutes (sometimes longer, depending on how much has to be discussed). For television, this is edited down to about a minute.f This is also true for Penn's conversation with the performer; it often goes on ...
by Michael Close
August 31st, 2019, 9:06 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Two great performances on "Fool Us"
Replies: 13
Views: 5129

Re: Two great performances on "Fool Us"

Also, since he was mentioned at the top of this thread, I should add that Tom Stone was great to work with. I saw him do the Quantum Logic routine at a convention in Lund, Sweden, in the fall last year and I thought it was great. It took a bit of arm twisting to get him to agree to do the show. I'm ...
by Michael Close
August 31st, 2019, 10:20 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: New Facebook Groups from Michael Close
Replies: 0
Views: 1001

New Facebook Groups from Michael Close

For those of you with Facebook accounts, we have something new starting. Lisa and I have created new, closed Facebook groups for The Paradigm Shift, The Road to Riffsville, and The T.O.M. Epiphany. These groups are restricted to those people who purchased those ebooks. If you want to join, all you h...
by Michael Close
August 31st, 2019, 10:18 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Two great performances on "Fool Us"
Replies: 13
Views: 5129

Re: Two great performances on "Fool Us"

Wolfgang did a terrific job and was a delight to work with. He and I had a lot of back-and-forth on this routine, mainly because he had to tighten it up considerably for television (in particular, the time constraints FU imposes). When he performs this on cruise ships and other venues, he brings up ...
by Michael Close
August 25th, 2019, 1:17 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: New Ebook from Michael Close
Replies: 7
Views: 2707

Re: New Ebook from Michael Close

Hi Bill: I completely agree; trying to wrap your head around Stewart James's Assumptive Trinities is challenging. I've been thinking about this for forty years and only have a basic grasp of it. The good news is, my new ebook isn't about the Assumptive Trinities. The launchpad for the ideas containe...
by Michael Close
August 24th, 2019, 12:46 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: New Ebook from Michael Close
Replies: 7
Views: 2707

Re: New Ebook from Michael Close

Hi Bill:

In the great tradition of magic dealers of the past, I was intentionally vague.

The meaning of T.O.M. is given in the product description of the ebook, which is the second link in my original post.
by Michael Close
August 23rd, 2019, 1:38 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: New Ebook from Michael Close
Replies: 7
Views: 2707

New Ebook from Michael Close

My new ebook, The T.O.M. Epiphany , is now available. I’ve written a blog explaining what the book is all about. The strategies explained can turn tricks into miracles. You can read more here: https://tinyurl.com/y4m8x3r5 If you so desire, you can purchase the ebook here: https://tinyurl.com/y3wyh3n...
by Michael Close
August 7th, 2019, 8:39 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Aspergers and Magic?
Replies: 93
Views: 30182

Re: Aspergers and Magic?

My apologies, Jonathan. I never reply to any question I'd have to Google to understand.

And now back to your regularly scheduled program.
by Michael Close
August 7th, 2019, 7:55 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Aspergers and Magic?
Replies: 93
Views: 30182

Re: Aspergers and Magic?

Question: How many magicians does it take not to get a joke.

Answer: Apparently, all of them.
by Michael Close
August 7th, 2019, 5:10 pm
Forum: General
Topic: Aspergers and Magic?
Replies: 93
Views: 30182

Re: Aspergers and Magic?

Question: How many Aspies does it take to change a lightbulb? Answer: First let me admit that I have not carefully researched this, I am simply recording the history that I lived through. When I was a teen, way back in the 60's, we still had ethnic jokes. Polish people were used more often than almo...
by Michael Close
July 10th, 2019, 12:31 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: A New Webinar from Michael Close
Replies: 9
Views: 4887

Re: A New Webinar from Michael Close

Lisa and I are gratified by the response we’ve received from our webinars; we appreciate those who have attended a live presentation and those who have spread the word about them. We also understand that everyone has busy lives and might not be able to attend a live webinar. Because of limitations o...
by Michael Close
June 11th, 2019, 9:49 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Penn & Teller: Fool Us Season Six
Replies: 7
Views: 4114

Penn & Teller: Fool Us Season Six

The sixth season of Penn & Teller: Fool Us begins on June 17, with an episode titled, “David Copperfield vs. Penn & Teller.” Also appearing on this show are Jan Reinder, Ondrej Psenicka, and Giancarlo Bernini. Subsequent episodes are: “They’re Back!” (June 24 – Javi Benitez, Rebecca Herrera,...

Go to advanced search