Strange Brew

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JohnKennedy
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Strange Brew

Postby JohnKennedy » September 11th, 2017, 6:54 pm

I'm about to release a new item called "Strange Brew" that is very different and versatile. Check it out https://youtu.be/_DRikn4VJWk.

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erdnasephile
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Re: Strange Brew

Postby erdnasephile » September 11th, 2017, 9:11 pm

I like the spooky face!

Brad Henderson
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Re: Strange Brew

Postby Brad Henderson » September 11th, 2017, 10:22 pm

the straw is great.

JohnKennedy
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Re: Strange Brew

Postby JohnKennedy » September 12th, 2017, 12:00 am

You could do a "Card Under Glass" using a cup of coffee. For the ending while they're "burning" the cup, the card appears folded in the coffee!

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Q. Kumber
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Re: Strange Brew

Postby Q. Kumber » September 12th, 2017, 2:46 am

Perhaps this could work with Strange Brew?

Back in the 1960's when Clark "Senator" Crandall visited the UK, Fabian, the then associate editor of Abracadabra magazine took him to a local cafe. After his coffee arrived, Crandall dropped a glass eye into it, and using a spoon lifted it so only the pupil was peeping out the top. Calling the waitress back, he remarked, "I think there's something in my coffee."

Upon leaving he called across to the waitress in his loud American accent, "You've been great and when I buy this place, you're the only one I'll keep."

JohnKennedy
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Re: Strange Brew

Postby JohnKennedy » September 12th, 2017, 3:15 am

An eyeball is a wonderful creepy item to rise up.

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erdnasephile
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Re: Strange Brew

Postby erdnasephile » September 12th, 2017, 12:51 pm

Bob Farmer's Little Hand also comes to mind.

Mr. Kennedy: can two objects be caused to rise out of the coffee?

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Steve Bryant
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Re: Strange Brew

Postby Steve Bryant » September 12th, 2017, 12:56 pm

Rats, I can't get this to play properly. A few seconds then total pause. Other John Kennedy clips play fine.

JohnKennedy
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Re: Strange Brew

Postby JohnKennedy » September 12th, 2017, 1:35 pm

erdnasephile wrote: Mr. Kennedy: can two objects be caused to rise out of the coffee?


If you mean for example two eyeballs instead of just one, yes. Two can rise as long as they are within the weight limit.

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erdnasephile
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Re: Strange Brew

Postby erdnasephile » September 12th, 2017, 4:44 pm

Would it be possible to have a piece of coffee-colored acetate rise just below the surface? If so, I wonder if you could bring out the coffee, stir in some cream, and then have the plastic rise to give the idea that the cream was arranging itself or parting to reveal the chosen card.

Either that, or stir in some sugar and have a revelation object made of granulated sugar to float to the surface.

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Re: Strange Brew

Postby JohnKennedy » September 12th, 2017, 4:59 pm

erdnasephile wrote:Would it be possible to have a piece of coffee-colored acetate rise just below the surface? If so, I wonder if you could bring out the coffee, stir in some cream, and then have the plastic rise to give the idea that the cream was arranging itself or parting to reveal the chosen card.

Either that, or stir in some sugar and have a revelation object made of granulated sugar to float to the surface.


Excellent thinking Erdnasephile. Anything that you can print on your computer printer can be easily waterproofed and made to appear. The sugar and cream forming a message or prediction are ideas that are included with the kit. But I suggest that rather than having the message visibly rise up to instead just have it be in place when the spectator looks into the coffee. That's because the rising up looks distinctly different from "coagulation," which would be the expected movement if it were to visibly form out of sugar or cream. Make sense?

That said, having the message fade away (by sinking down) looks quite good.

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Q. Kumber
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Re: Strange Brew

Postby Q. Kumber » September 12th, 2017, 5:43 pm

John,

Is this effect currently available and if so, ????

JohnKennedy
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Re: Strange Brew

Postby JohnKennedy » September 12th, 2017, 5:55 pm

Possibly this week.

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Re: Strange Brew

Postby JohnKennedy » September 13th, 2017, 8:03 pm


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Gordon Meyer
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Re: Strange Brew

Postby Gordon Meyer » September 15th, 2017, 3:50 pm

I'm not much of a coffee drinker. Are there considerations for the beverage, such as wine or soda, other than being opaque?

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erdnasephile
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Re: Strange Brew

Postby erdnasephile » September 15th, 2017, 4:03 pm

Another thought would be to use this in conjunction with Mr. Kennedy's "Coffee Time". That would allow the "clean up" from the coagulated cream idea to be taken care of quite easily.

JohnKennedy
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Re: Strange Brew

Postby JohnKennedy » September 16th, 2017, 8:48 pm

The gimmick is designed to be loaded and stolen quickly. You start with a normal cup of coffee that you can drink until you're ready to perform. You then secretly load the gimmick. At the conclusion you just leave the cup of coffee on the table for anyone to look at. There's nothing for them to find.

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erdnasephile
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Re: Strange Brew

Postby erdnasephile » September 17th, 2017, 9:04 am

I should clarify: I guess by "clean up" I meant, if you pour real cream in the coffee, it's going to turn the coffee a milky brown. (The strange brew effect would still work of course.) I just thought it would be nice touch to make the cream vanish as well using the "Coffee Time" procedure. Can the two gimmicks be used together?

Jonathan Townsend
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Re: Strange Brew

Postby Jonathan Townsend » September 17th, 2017, 10:25 am

Starting to look like you can do a routine that amounts to an inverted chop cup with a full cup of coffee... hmmmm

Any logistical problems swapping one appearance gaff for another mid-routine for "final loads" ?
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

JohnKennedy
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Re: Strange Brew

Postby JohnKennedy » September 17th, 2017, 2:36 pm

Jonathan Townsend wrote:Starting to look like you can do a routine that amounts to an inverted chop cup with a full cup of coffee... hmmmm

Any logistical problems swapping one appearance gaff for another mid-routine for "final loads" ?


I never thought of an inverted chop cup Jonathan but that's a very interesting idea. You could use a cork (or other floatable object) so that it appears "floating" on top. As far as the final load, that would need to be sleight-of-hand separate from the Strange Brew gimmick.


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