The Genii Forum

Hallo magicians, I would like to ask you some information about an effect where magician uses some socks and a shopping bag and at the end he wears 2 different socks "chosed" from the spectators. I know explanation should be in a number of Linking ring magazine (end of 80's) but I don't know which one. And explanation should also be inside some lecture notes by Al Bongo. Some of you maybe can help me giving more details? Thanks

Don't know about that one, but John Lenehan and Derek Del Gaudio both do The Piano Trick from Royal Road with socks. Works very well.

I'm only aware of the one on page 46 in Michael Weber's "Life Savers" (1991)

Graham Reed had an effect where he did the 20th Century Silks but a sock appeared between the two silks. Upon lifting his trouser, to show where the sock should be, was the missing silk tied around his ankle.

I have a collection of different sets of Ali's lecture notes. I'll see if I can find the sock routine. Ali left the rights to his effects to Richard Pinner.

At Genii 75, Tomo Maeda performed and taught the exact routine described by the original poster.

Can anyone please pinpoint the exact location of the trick by Ali Bongo that is similar to the one performed by Tomo Maeda with the socks? Send me a scan of the Bongo routine if possible to moobooks@verizon.net
Thanks.

I haven't seen it, but I think a similar thing with gloves is on one of Harlans Pack Small Play Big DVDs. With coloured gloves from memory, it's mathematical.

I seem to recall seeing David Regal do a prediction with socks in the Parlor at the Magic Castle.

You know what, I think Regal's thing might have been gloves.

Pete McCabe wrote:You know what, I think Regal's thing might have been gloves.

I remember him having a thing with crotchless panties, if that helps?

David Regal's routine (with socks) is in Approaching Magic.

About three months ago, someone recommended I consider a routine like the one described at the top of this thread. He described it as a Kreskin routine. I will see if I can get any more information when I see him again next week.

mrgoat wrote:I remember him having a thing with crotchless panties, if that helps?

With, or for? Either way, it helps.

Regal's routine is indeed with socks. It's based on Larry Becker's "Will the Cards Match?".

Matt Marcy opens with the trick exactly as described in the OP.

Kreskin did a 2-color "sock prediction" on the Letterman Show, years ago (it was on a Letterman VHS tape)...

Mentalist Lior Suchard also did a "2 sock color reveal" - on the Jay Leno Show, two nights ago.

...but where to find such routines...I don't know - except what's mentioned in the above posts.

can I also get a scan of the Bongo routine? thanks ;)

Back in the 90's, a cruise ship performer described that same routine to me, as something of an "encore" or one-off piece. I'm pretty sure it was Scott Cervine. I do hope we can identify the originator of this routine before it becomes "standard".

JFox wrote:...but where to find such routines...I don't know

Try
The Royal Road to Sock Magic
Close Up Sock Magic (now part of The Classic Sock Collection Volume 1)
The Expert in the Sock Drawer

El Mystico wrote:

JFox wrote:...but where to find such routines...I don't know

Try
The Royal Road to Sock Magic
Close Up Sock Magic (now part of The Classic Sock Collection Volume 1)
The Expert in the Sock Drawer

Hehehehe.

Dimitri, the "Mystery Artist" from Argentina, has just joined the Magic Nook as an Independent Author and coincidentally his first published e-Book is a "Sock Routine" that he has perfected from various sources. In his version, the sock chosen by members of the audience is found to be an exact match to the socks he is wearing... hold on a minute... his other foot is shown sockless and the spectator has found the missing sock. By rearranging the ending for two chosen socks instead of one, you could also produce the Ali Bongo effect of having a match of two different socks to match the two different socks you are wearing. The way he has the spectators fling the socks around, back and forth in the choosing, is also party of the fun of his routine.

Doesn't Eric Mead have a routine along these lines except using his necktie?

There is to be a book of Ali Bongo's magic.

Stephen Short and Scott Penrose are currently working on a new Alan Shaxon book.

When that project is completed Stephen will start on the Bongo book. Not to be confused with the book published by Magic Inc. some years back.

Ali was working on a book at the time of his death that consisted of his collected columns "Under the Banyon Tree" from Genii.

Tomo Maeda performs his Piano Trick with socks on one of the forthcoming "Face to Face with Genii" interviews I did at the Genii Bash.

Matt Field

Ten Socks in a Bag by Tomo Maeda was in Genii, Vol. 66, no. 7, July 2003, page 45.

Someone has found Ali Bongo Version ? If so when and where was it published ?

Thanks in advance.

Matt Marcy did this effect on the most recent episode of Masters of Illusion.

He calls it "the perfect match" and performs it with a laundry bag containing 250 pairs of socks.