Any questions?

All beginners in magic should address their questions here.
performer
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Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Any questions?

Postby performer » August 26th, 2015, 9:14 pm

I couldn't figure out where to make this post but the beginners section seems to be the most appropriate, from looking at the depth of knowledge on this site.

It is perfectly obvious to me that I know more about magic than anyone else and this being the case I feel that I should show great generosity in sharing my genius with you.

I know about the svengali pitch business, the psychic business, the stage hypnosis business, stand up magic, close up magic and particularly card tricks.

Since I am here you may as well avail of my presence. I can see that many of you have a lot to learn and the more astute among you will take the opportunity to avail of such knowledge on the basis that in order to get the knowledge you don't necessarily have to like the teacher.

I have outlined above 5 areas in which you can derive information. All you have to do is ask and it will be given unto you. Mind you, I happen to be psychic and am getting a vibe that not one of you will avail of this great opportunity.

No skin off my nose. Still we will see. I do need something to keep me awake on this rather slow forum.

Carlo Morpurgo
Posts: 375
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Columbia, MO

Re: Any questions?

Postby Carlo Morpurgo » August 26th, 2015, 9:38 pm

performer wrote:I couldn't figure out where to make this post but the beginners section seems to be the most appropriate, from looking at the depth of knowledge on this site.

It is perfectly obvious to me that I know more about magic than anyone else and this being the case I feel that I should show great generosity in sharing my genius with you.


Not a good start....

performer
Posts: 3508
Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: Any questions?

Postby performer » August 26th, 2015, 9:43 pm

Carlos. I am merely trying to entertain you. You are supposed to be an entertainer. Don't you appreciate entertainment? And it isn't the start that matters. It is the journey itself.

Now is there anything you want to know? After all, it is my job as a psychic reverend and holy man of the cloth to know all, see all and I will be delighted to tell all.

So, is there anything you want to ask? Unless like me, of course, you already know everything.

Dougini
Posts: 39
Joined: August 23rd, 2010, 6:34 pm
Favorite Magician: There are too many

Re: Any questions?

Postby Dougini » August 26th, 2015, 9:49 pm

Mark, that KILLED me! I needed a good laugh, and YOU are the MAN! Too much! I get British humor, and that is classic! Oh, how I miss my friends from the UK! Humor so dry, it would suck the water out of a stone! Ha! :) Thanks, man!

Doug

Carlo Morpurgo
Posts: 375
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Columbia, MO

Re: Any questions?

Postby Carlo Morpurgo » August 26th, 2015, 9:53 pm

performer wrote:Carlos. I am merely trying to entertain you. You are supposed to be an entertainer. Don't you appreciate entertainment? And it isn't the start that matters. It is the journey itself.

Now is there anything you want to know? After all, it is my job as a psychic reverend and holy man of the cloth to know all, see all and I will be delighted to tell all.

So, is there anything you want to ask? Unless like me, of course, you already know everything.


I think you are pretty hilarous.... :) I get your point...

performer
Posts: 3508
Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: Any questions?

Postby performer » August 26th, 2015, 10:02 pm

I appreciate the remarks but does anybody want to know anything? I am quite skilled in many areas you know. I have been in great admiration of myself for my entire life because of this. Again, Stage Hypnotism, Cabaret, Psychic Readings, Svengali pitch work and furthermore I happen to be one of the greatest card magicians in the world. Actually I am the greatest but don't like to mention it in case you consider me immodest.

So? Any questions?

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Dustin Stinett
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Joined: July 22nd, 2001, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Sometimes
Location: Southern California
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Re: Any questions?

Postby Dustin Stinett » August 26th, 2015, 11:11 pm

performer wrote:Carlos. I am merely trying to entertain you. You are supposed to be an entertainer. Don't you appreciate entertainment?



performer
Posts: 3508
Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: Any questions?

Postby performer » August 27th, 2015, 5:12 am

I am sorry, Dustin. I do not know very much about Roman history. It would be better if you were to ask about magic. I do know all about that.

performer
Posts: 3508
Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: Any questions?

Postby performer » August 27th, 2015, 12:15 pm

Since nobody seems to require well needed knowledge I am going to give it to you anyway. This is a video where Paul Pacific interviewed me in a coffee shop. He is a bit of a trouble maker and forced me to say rude things about a well known mentalist so you should blame him for that and not me. You should ignore the first couple of minutes where he tried to wheedle great praise from me for his mentalism abilities (this fell flat by the way) and continue past it.

I do believe there is very valuable information on performing therein. It may well be useful to some of you whether you agree with it or not. It is based on vast experience after all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xon5ZZF ... 3&index=32

Joe Mckay
Posts: 2026
Joined: April 13th, 2008, 6:56 am
Favorite Magician: Lubor Fiedler
Location: Durham, England

Re: Any questions?

Postby Joe Mckay » August 27th, 2015, 1:09 pm

Here is a post I made on the 'Conjure Nation' forum.

I thought Mark might find it of interest as well...

------------------------

When I was about 6 or 7 - my mother bought me a svengali deck.

The guy who was demonstrating them was #ark Lewis. One of the greatest svengali pitchmen of all time. Years later I got to double check with him - and it really was him. I could even remember his distinctive style of speaking.

I was too dumb as a kid to notice the 'long/short' principle. So even though I knew duplicate cards were used - I was still unsure as to exactly how the deck worked.

Sometimes being dumb is fun!

Anyway - flash forward 25 years - and I am studying 'The Long and Short of It'. It is a book by #ark Lewis which teaches his legendary svengali deck routine.

At the start of the book he makes an interesting claim. He says that no magician ever believes him - but for a layperson, a properly executed svengali routine is the strongest trick you can do for them.

You might be tempted to scoff at that. But I sometimes think he might have a point. Since it is such a powerful principle. If you are not familiar with the method at work - you can seemingly produce endless miracles that look much cleaner than any level of expert sleight of hand.

You can see Mark's routine here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lgB123C4q0

So - I was wondering what others think? From the point of view of a layperson - is there a routine stronger than this? I just wonder if the svengali deck is a tool that magicians have overlooked in their haste for something more "sophisticated" or novel? Which would be a shame since the svengali principle allows for a whole range of effects which you cannot achieve any other way.

Anyway - I just want to throw this out for discussion. I am not sure where I stand exactly. But I do think #ark Lewis makes an interesting point.

OneMoreTime
Posts: 6
Joined: July 23rd, 2015, 1:34 am

Re: Any questions?

Postby OneMoreTime » August 27th, 2015, 2:14 pm

Is this what'shisname, the English guy who got banned here a few years ago?


performer
Posts: 3508
Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: Any questions?

Postby performer » August 28th, 2015, 12:05 am

That soon shut him up. He must know Braveheart was quite ferocious and it probably scared him off.

Oddly enough Ali Bongo who was not ferocious at all was descended from Braveheart. Or so he told me. Maybe he wasn't. Pongolia doesn't quite have the same ring to it somehow.

MagicbyAlfred
Posts: 2388
Joined: June 7th, 2015, 12:48 pm
Favorite Magician: Bill Malone
Location: Myrtle Beach, SC

Re: Any questions?

Postby MagicbyAlfred » August 28th, 2015, 6:26 am

Joe, I would not disagree with Performer's opinion that a properly executed Svengali routine is the strongest trick for laymen, but with the caveat that any proclamation as to what is "strongest" is, by necessity, subjective. I tread lightly in venturing my own opinion considering that my experience in the realm of the Svengali deck, as compared to Performer's extraordinarily vast experience, is minuscule. I can say that In my own experience performing card magic, no routine that I personally have done surpasses, layman-reaction-wise, the (signed) ambitious card with a card on the ceiling ending. (In the final phase the AC is p a _ m _ d as the signatory shuffles, then replaced thereafter). If you come to Ricardo's in Santa Rosa you will see a ceiling laden with signed cards. When people come back week after week and bring new friends and/or family members with them, it is not Triumph, nor a four ace trick, nor the ID, or even OOTW, that they are coming for, but card on ceiling.

This being said, in response to Joe's query, has the SD been overlooked by magicians? I would say yes. But the deck, like any other prop, is a tool, and how creatively and artfully it is used is what determines reaction. There are quite a few layman I have encountered who know about or actually have owned a Svengali deck (accounting, no doubt, for copious pound notes the pockets of Performer and his fellow grafters - and as far as I'm concerned, all the more power to them!) So I feel I want to be cautious how I use this excellent tool.

I personally use the SD for one routine which I believe to be my own, but which any magician on this Forum is welcome to use, or any derivation of it, if they like. On nights I perform it, I am wearing a silk tie that has a nice colorful painting of a king of spades on it. I switch in the SD after a couple effects with an OD. (both decks are red _ i _ y _ l _). I then write down a "prediction" on a bar napkin, fold the napkin, and hand it to a spectator to hold on to. After showing all the cards to be clearly different, and emphasizing that there are many to choose from, I hand the deck to a spectator asking him/her to deal cards until they feel like stopping. As such, there is an ultra-convincing and foolproof f _ r _ e of, in this case, the King of Diamonds. I ask them to first show around the card, then insert the card back anywhere in the deck, and I then casually put the deck in the box and back into my pocket next to its predecessor deck, should an examination be subsequently demanded (one never has). I then patter about the compelling premonition I had that I would meet this particular person (the one who selected the card) on this very night, and that they would freely choose a certain card. With fanfare and solemnity, I ask that the prediction be opened and read aloud. It reads: "The card is on Alfred's tie." As they stare at my tie, the reactions are really fun to watch, running the gamut from slightly embarrassed smiles, to smug exchanges of looks, to genuine sympathy, and even outright confrontation, because of course, the "selection" was the King of Diamonds, not the King of Spades. I then look down innocently at my tie saying, "Oh, no, you see this is not a card, it's actually a picture or painting of a card. I then slowly flip the tie around to reveal that attached to the back of the tie with a gold tie clip is a King of Diamonds, and I say, "This - is a card." I love performing this routine, but what really matters is that laymen find it highly entertaining. I believe another strong effect using the SD would be to have a prediction of the card in a previously sealed envelope, for either a close up or stage mental magic presentation.

I would venture to say that there are endless applications for the SD, each magician's own creativity being the catalyst, and as I mentioned on another thread, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Performer weave his spell with it.

performer
Posts: 3508
Joined: August 7th, 2015, 10:35 pm

Re: Any questions?

Postby performer » August 28th, 2015, 10:09 am

I am glad Alfred has arrived. We can now have sensible discussions about things apart from Roman history. I do have a lot to say about the svengali deck and it is NOT my favourite trick for obvious reasons. Your head can explode from it when you have done it thousands upon thousands upon thousands upon thousands upon thousands of times.

I don't necessarily think it is the greatest card trick you can do for laymen and I don't remember saying that in my book. In fact I just checked my book on the deck and although I can see why Joe got that impression but I didn't actually say it although I suppose it could be implied. The truth is that what is the best trick for someone is an individual thing. I don't get into the argument where people often discuss whether there is such a thing as a bad trick or not. I think it is an irrelevant question. What may be a bad trick for me may be a wonderful trick for you.

I think it is more relevant to ask if a trick suits you or not. Paul Potassy said somehow he couldn't make the thumb tie suit him no matter how classic a trick it certainly is. And if it doesn't suit you then it is a bad trick for YOU even if it is a superb trick for someone else.

Oh, and I used to do Card On Ceiling a lot using the Jay Marshall method in Classic Secrets of Magic. It is indeed a wonderful trick but I found it impractical for most venues unless, like Alfred you have a regular venue where you work consistently.

But back to the svengali deck. Oddly enough it wasn't me that said the svengali deck was the best card trick. It was Ron MacMillan! I don't think Ron was particularly enamoured about card tricks and he remarked to me several times that the svengali deck was just as good as any other card trick. So blame him-not me!

I would NEVER do the svengali deck for impromptu close up magic for fun! It is the last thing I would want to do! I am remarkably proficient with a regular deck of cards and get better reaction doing card tricks than anything else I do. I am a CARD MAGICIAN and all the other stuff I do such as kid shows, hypnotism etc; is just extra bonuses for me to make a living with. So when I have an opportunity to do card tricks for laymen in an impromptu situation you will never see me with a svengali deck.

However, when performing professionally I am forced to do the bloody thing whether I want to or not. It just seems to fit the venues in which I work. I TELL the audience I am using a trick deck "that I purchased in a magic shop"! It saves me from faffling about switching decks and suchlike and it doesn't make the blindest bit of difference to the reaction. They yell out loud with great gusts of laughter when I reveal an identical card on top of each pile!

I don't do it when doing walk around magic although it would work perfectly well. I try to avoid performing it when I don't have to. I just hate doing it. However, at certain venues, such as trade shows, I know I have to do it because it fits so well and it is as if it has made by God for incorporating company messages.

Here is an example of what I am talking about:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9Ok6HCjH9Y


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