How do YOU open a Zippo?

[Jon Allen]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Duj_g0Wu ... re=related

Incredible!

[Chris Aguilar]

Neat for a few seconds, then tediously repetitive.

[Dave V]

Strangely enough, "Zippo Tricks" is a highly popular pastime. Do a Google search for more.

[Chris Aguilar]

There are plenty of popular pastimes that don't constitute compelling entertainment.

[Jon Allen]

Neat for a few seconds, then tediously repetitive.

I've seen Chinese Linking Ring and Ambitious Card routines like that!

[Chris Aguilar]

I've seen Chinese Linking Ring and Ambitious Card routines like that!

Exactly. Often about as compelling as watching someone collect stamps or juggle their zippo.

[Terry]

Q: How do you know your a magic geek?
A: You waste your life googling zippo tricks. . .

[Jonathan Townsend]

I liked the tongue tricks video right next to it.
Not a smoker here so watching children fuss with smoking implements does little for me.

[Bill Duncan]

A buddy of mine got a gig doing a give away for one of the tobacco companies, based on his Zippo flourishes. Hes better than the kid in the video, by a fair bit.

Like it or not, laymen often prefer juggling to card magic

[Chris Aguilar]

Hes better than the kid in the video, by a fair bit.

That's not saying much. Gimme a regular juggler any day.

[Jonathan Townsend]

Comes back to showing off and demonstrating twitchy skill - cute till you get about halfway through puberty and then it's time to get your eyes up off the props and notice who's looking at you and how.

Though the lighter bit got me wondering about a routine where you have a table full of candles that keep going out after a few seconds so you have to keep lighting them.

[Dave Shepherd]

I liked the tongue tricks video right next to it.

I like the videos to which I was led from the tongue-trick video.

[Eoin O'hare]

Neat for a few seconds, then tediously repetitive.

Performed in the right context Zippo juggling could be entertaining. A gas station forecourt, for example.

[NCMarsh]

I am just back from seeing Bill Irwin (brilliant actor/director/clown/physical comedian) perform live, and was really blown away. I've been watching some videos of his work on YouTube, and ran into this scene from a show in the early '80's that made me think of this thread and the "cardistry vs. magic" thread:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQXXntFQTmk

(the part that brought this thread to mind begins with the Critic: "say, do you do any hat tricks?")

[chipper]

Bill is an idol of mine from way back. My background, like his, came from traveling on the road with various circuses. We share the same goal of blending a variety of mediums together, and his "Regard of Flight", "Fool Moon", and "Largely New York" were wonderful pieces mixing mime, clowning, dance, and physical slapstick. When I first met him about 17+ years ago, he was the nicest and warmest artist I had ever met. Full of support and a breath of fresh air within the theater community. Great guy and a fantastic artist!