Perverse Magic

All beginners in magic should address their questions here.
User avatar
Spellbinder
Posts: 472
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: New Jersey
Contact:

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Spellbinder » September 27th, 2005, 5:19 am

One of my favorite perverse card tricks (and I rarely do card tricks in my role as a Wizard- this is usually saved for showing to magicians) is the Unsigned Card trick.

You know how the plot begins. A card from a deck is freely chosen (and when a magician chooses a card, you'd better believe it is freely chosen!) and the chooser signs his or her name across the front of it. Then the card is shuffled back into the deck. So far, so boring, especially for magicians.

I fan out the cards, select one and throw it down on the table, face up. The person's signature is on the face of the card, but the person claims it's not his or her card.

How can that be? You signed the card, so it MUST be the card you chose! I pick another card and flip it face up. Again it has the person's signature, but is the wrong card. Another and another card turns up and they all have the signature.

Finally I spread the deck face up to show that ALL the cards have the person's signature across the face of them, all except for one card... the one originally chosen and signed.

Perverse!
Phineas Spellbinder
The Magic Nook

Jonathan Townsend
Posts: 8704
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Westchester, NY
Contact:

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Jonathan Townsend » September 27th, 2005, 5:57 am

Originally posted by Spellbinder:...ALL the cards have the person's signature across the face of them...
How very provocative. I suppose this is worth traveling with a buddy to perform, or do you have a method that makes this a worker's routine?
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

User avatar
Spellbinder
Posts: 472
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: New Jersey
Contact:

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Spellbinder » September 27th, 2005, 10:13 am

Originally posted by Jonathan Townsend:
How very provocative. I suppose this is worth traveling with a buddy to perform, or do you have a method that makes this a worker's routine?
This is done solo, and certainly is a routine for a worker who doesn't mind working a little for a mind-blowing effect. Definitely not for the lazy magician.
Phineas Spellbinder
The Magic Nook

Jonathan Townsend
Posts: 8704
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Westchester, NY
Contact:

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Jonathan Townsend » September 27th, 2005, 11:29 am

Okay, sounds good. Let me know if the item is available. Thanks.
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

User avatar
Spellbinder
Posts: 472
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: New Jersey
Contact:

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Spellbinder » September 27th, 2005, 12:21 pm

This one is not for sale... yet. I only let go of the ones I no longer actively use. Maybe in a few years. I'm sure there are enough clever card workers in here to figure out the method from my description of the effect.
Phineas Spellbinder
The Magic Nook

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » September 28th, 2005, 4:50 am

Well, I guess since Spellbinder posted his Unsigned Card Trick he wont object to readers discussing A method even if its not THE method.

It is, after all, a good Perverse Magic effect.

Back in 2002, I posted (under Close Up Magic) the fact that over the years I had done tricks with the spectator signing their name on a card and I had saved these cards and then, if I knew I was going to see that person at a later date I would take that signed card and a matching deck. I would force the duplicate of the signed card, have it shuffled back into the deck and then I would palm it out as I gave the deck to the spectator telling him to picture his card. I would give the spectator an imaginary pen and tell him to sign the mental picture with the imaginary pen and put the mentally pictured, mentally signed card back in the deck. I would spread the deck and there would be his signed selected card signed with HIS signature.

Well, for the Unsigned Card Trick I guess one could take one of these saved signed cards and using it as a guide forge that signature on the other 51 cards of a matching deck.
(I read somewhere that to copy a signature its best to do it with the signature to be copied upside down.)

The deck now contains fifty one forged signature cards and one unsigned card. The card with the actual signature isnt used. You also need a duplicate of the unsigned card lets say the 4C

Force one of the unsigned 4C and have the spectator sign it, shuffle it back into the pack and palm it out.

Spread the deck on the table and pull out a face down card and show the signature. But its not the selected card. Youre puzzled. You try again Again not the selected card but its signed. You turn over the deck theyre all signed. You ask for the name of the card. You look for it its the only one not signed.

You quit in frustration.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » September 28th, 2005, 5:02 am

The idea of forging the signature on 51 cards came from my good friend Bob Lusthaus.

User avatar
Spellbinder
Posts: 472
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: New Jersey
Contact:

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Spellbinder » September 28th, 2005, 6:55 am

Originally posted by Gerald Deutsch:
Well, I guess since Spellbinder posted his Unsigned Card Trick he wont object to readers discussing A method even if its not THE method.
He won't mind at all. It's a good exercise for the beginner and you have provided a good solution for use with a card force. Spellbinder's version allows for a free card selection... within limits.

He said it wasn't a trick for lazy magicians, but even he is much too lazy to forge signatures on 52 cards. Technology has given us a faster method.

He would suggest that if anyone sees a better solution, rather than giving it away on the forum, just keep if to yourself and use it!

Posted at Spellbinder's request (he's in the hospital for tests today!)
Phineas Spellbinder
The Magic Nook

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » October 1st, 2005, 5:17 am

Coin Under Watch

One of the best things about my involvement in magic is the people Ive met and made friends with. Among such friends are Steve Cohen and Mark Sicher.

Steve and Mark published this effect (which is called Quart (er) Z Watch) in the April 1990 issue of Apocalypse (page 1765).

Steve Cohen is a very friendly and low keyed person who calls himself The Millionaires Magician and who has recently written a book called, Win the Crowd. Steve often performs in the famous New York Waldorf Astoria doing his show which he calls Chamber Magic.

As for Mark Sicher, the following appeared in a program called Share the Magic a benefit held on March 6, 1994:

"At the age of 22, Mark Nathan Sicher fulfilled his lifetime ambition and
embarked on an exciting career as a professional magician. His unique sense
of humor and fresh youthful approach gave him a great deal of success and
earned him international praise from the magic community.

"However, 6 months later, in January of 1993, Mark was diagnosed with bone
cancer and forced to put his new career on hold. During the course of his
treatment this past year, he has become closely involved with many children
struggling with similar circumstances.

"On March 6th Mark will be joined by some of the top conjurers in the nation
as they perform their miracles to help further the fight against childhood
cancer."

Mark died shortly before the benefit.

The Coin Under Watch is a wonderful example of an effect that can be used to show Perverse Magic.

A summary of the effect is as follows:

1 The magician borrows a quarter and tells a woman (it works better with a
woman spectator) that hes going to put the quarter in his left hand and make it pass invisibly to his right hand and shes to hold his left hand closed when he puts the quarter in it.

2 The coin vanishes from the magicians left hand but hes surprised that its not in his right hand. He looks confused and then sees that its under his watch band (the coin apparently got stuck along the way) which further confuses him.

3 He says hell try it again and again the quarter is not in his left hand but again its not in his right hand either. Again hes confused and hes even more confused when its not under his watch as it was before.

4 The confused magician asks the spectator to check her watch and both she and the magician are bewildered as to how it got there.

The routine is clearly explained by Harry Lorayne in the April 1990 issue
of Apocalypse.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » November 1st, 2005, 3:50 am

They Wont Mix

One Saturday afternoon, I watched Zal Puchkoff shuffling a new deck of cards for a spectator who was sitting across the table from him, only to show that after the shuffle the deck remained in new deck order. That lead me to consider how this could be done in a Perverse Magic setting.

1 The magician pauses in the course of doing some effects for spectators
opposite him at a table to bring out a new deck of cards with an unusual
back pattern.

Id like to use a new deck but I always have a problem with these kinds of
card. The magician opens the deck and shows it in new deck order,
separated by suits. He moves the cards around so that the reds are all
together and the blacks are all together and he shuffles the deck but then
shows the deck is still separated reds and blacks. See? Somehow I cant
shuffle these cards. Again he shuffles and again shows they are still
separated reds and blacks and he shrugs in not understanding.

2 The magician takes a few red cards and a few black cards and interlaces
them so they alternate red, black, red, black, red, black etc but when he
deals out the small packet again the reds are together and so are the blacks.

This is repeated two times.

3 Finally the magician gives the full deck to a spectator and asks her to shuffle
but when she does the magician is exasperated to find the deck still
separated by color.

Frustrated he puts the deck away.

To perform you need 2 identical decks, one set up in new deck order (which probably has all hearts, clubs, diamonds and then spades or in some order like that) in its card box and the other deck with all reds and all blacks together without a card box, both in a case next to your chair.

You are seated for this

The numbers below refer to the numbers above:

1 When ready to perform you reach into your bag and take out both decks.
The loose deck is secretly dropped on your lap as the boxed deck is dropped on the table.

A Zarrow Shuffle is used.

2 This is a standard Oil and Water. Some versions can be found in Dai
Vernons More Inner Secrets of Card Magic on page 20 and Richard
Kaufmans The Complete Works of Derek Dingle on page 167.

3 After the spectator shuffles youre going to switch decks. As the woman
shuffles I would make comments about how good she shuffles and she looks like a card shark etc and as I do my right hand grips the face down deck in my lap by the short ends between my thumb at the inner end and my fingers at the outer end.

When shes done shuffling I extend my left hand for the deck and when the face down deck is in my left hand:

* I bring that hand toward my body
* I bring my right hand to my left hand
* The deck in my left hand falls to my lap
* The deck in my right hand is put in my left hand
* My left thumb goes under the deck to the face of the deck and causes the deck to turn face up
* The right hand takes the face up deck and puts it face up on the table.

Finally, in frustration, you put the deck back in the box and the box in you
case, taking the lapped deck at the same time.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » December 1st, 2005, 4:40 am

David Roths Legendary Four Coin Trick

Back when I started this thread (December 2002) I noted that David Roths Legendary Coin Trick is an example of what I call category 5 - Whimsical Perverse Magic (the magician and the audience are on different planes as to what each sees) but the climax as I do it - is also an example of category 2 - the performer saying hes going to do something and something else happens.

Let me digress for a minute and review again what I called the various categories of Perverse Magic:

1 Something happens without performers knowledge.
2 Performer says one thing will happen something else does
3 Performer says hes going to do something it happens by itself
4 Performer is caught he admits it then he and the audience are surprised.
5 Performer and audience are on different planes

In Perverse Magic the performer is not saying Look how great I am (except the way Carl Ballantine does) but is caught up in what is happening and is surprised, frustrated or angry at what happens all beyond his control.

By the way, I think there may be a sixth category (and maybe more later):

6 Performer explains something that will happen but he doesnt understand why it happens. Or in the alternative something goes wrong and the performer looks in a book and then does something meaningless and it happens.

I guess this can be used for so many standard effects. For example, instead of saying,
I put the red handkerchief in my hand, sprinkle on the salt and Presto! it
changes to yellow you would say instead, I dont understand it but if I put the
red handkerchief in my hand and sprinkle on the salt it becomes yellow.. (See
Dice Caper above on this thread April 1, 2005.) Or in the alternative he
sprinkles on the salt and its still read so he looks in a book and then sprinkles on
pepper and then it changes to yellow.

Anyway, David Roths Legendary Four Coin Trick (category 5 Perverse Magic):

I wont explain the method because its published in David Roths Expert Coin Magic as well as in Apocalypse (Jan 1982 page 580) but the effect as I do it is as follows:

1 The magician says hes going to perform the Legendary Four Coin Trick and lays out three quarters.

2 He counts the three quarters with an extra beat counting them as four but the audience knows theres only three.

3 The magician says he wants to make it simpler so hell do it with only three coins and he pushes one away (leaving really two). He counts these with the extra beat as three.

4 He again moves one quarter away and says he doesnt want to confuse anyone so hell do it with two.

5 This is repeated until there are no coins the three quarters having been moved to the side and he says he will do it with one.

6 He points to the imaginary quarter and says he will make it vanish by magic. He picks it up with his right hand and tosses it into his empty left hand (which is still empty after the toss) which closes and he gestures over his left hand with his right and when he opens his left hand theres a real quarter there.

Darn it didnt vanish!

(I stop here David doesnt but he and I disagree on several things though I think
hes one of the best magicians around.)

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » January 1st, 2006, 4:31 am

Fred Kaps Homing Card

In my December 21 2002 entry to this thread I referred to the effect where a black card continues to appear in a decreasing fan of red cards, (pointing out that this is one of 2 effects called The Homing Card) Its great Perverse Magic, especially with the great acting that Fred Kaps demonstrated when he presented this effect showing his increasing frustration with what was happening.

The effect (with a different presentation) is described in Show Stoppers With Cards by Jean Hugard and Fred Braue. Marlo has several versions in Tops (November 1963 and the 1963 Annual) and Larry Jennings published versions in Expert Card Mysteries and The Classical Magic of Larry Jennings.

This is basically the routine that I saw Fred Kaps do with some modifications that Ive made the most important of which is that at the end I am left with a single card whereas Kaps had a double card that had to shown as a single.

------------------------------------------------------
The effect:

1 The performer says hes going to do an effect using five red cards and a card case. He explains that the cards must be red on the back and the face. He puts the card case in his left trouser pocket.

2 The performer shows the backs of the cards are red and then, one at a time he shows the faces of the first four cards to be red but the fifth card is the black queen of spades.

3 The performer looks a little surprised but discards the QS putting it face down on the table and says he will do the trick with four cards and of course the card case which is in his left pocket and he taps his pocket.

4 He counts the four cards and shows they are all red on both sides - and he removes and then replaces the card case in his left pocket. He counts the four cards again and this time the last card is again the QS. The performer is puzzled as he looks confused at the face down card on the table. The card case is pulled half way out of his pocket as he looks at it confused and them pushed back into the pocket. The QS is again discarded and is put face down on the card on the table. He says he will do the trick with 3 cards.

5 The performer again counts the three cards and the black one again appears and the magician is again confused as he takes out the card case again and looks at it and puts it back now in his RIGHT trouser pocket and the performer now says he will do the trick with two cards..

6 This is one of the best bits of business that Fred did . The magician again counts the two cards and looks very suspiciously at the card in the left hand (where the black card has always appeared) and is relived when it is red and then, as he talks the magician casually turns over the card in his right hand and keeps talking and does a double take as he realizes as did everyone else that that card is now the black card the QS. It is dropped on the table with the others as the magician now says he will do the effect with one card.

7 The one card is shown to be red and the magician takes the card case from his pocket and tells the audience to remember that the case is in my right hand and the red card is in my left and now---as he says this he turns over the red card which is now once again that QS which he tosses to the table, followed by the card case as he says in disgust, I quit!

Great Perverse Magic!

Needed for the routine is 6 red backed cards, 5 are red spot cards (non picture cards) and one is a black picture card. Say the QS. Also needed is a red card case.

The black picture card is second from the bottom of the packet.

There are a few sleights needed for the effect, (i) a buckle count, (ii) a side glide and (iii) a simple side steal. Im sure everyone knows the buckle count and the side steal and the side glide is the regular glide EXCEPT that it is done with the left hand holding the packet by the shorter (narrow) sides instead of the long sides. (As you practice this you will find your left hand will become cramped until you get used to this grip.)

Explanation:

The numbers below refer to the numbers above:

1 The card case is used in my version here only as a reason to get rid of the extra card as the magician goes for the case at the end of the effect.

2 The buckle count is used here, buckling the bottom card after three red cards are shown.

3 After the buckle count the fifth card, a red card is in the left hand and in the right hand is the fan of five cards, the QS is on the bottom of the fan with a red card aligned with the QS and hidden.

The performer puts the red card that is in his left hand on top of the fan and then with his left hand takes the QS (and the card behind it) and puts in on the top of the fan. The top card a red card that the audience thinks is the QS is dealt face down on to the table.

4 There are now 5 cards (the audience thinks 4) with the QS on top. Using the side glide four cards are shown to be all red. The packet is held in the left hand between the fingers at the outer short end and the thumb at the inner short end.

A single card is taken from the bottom of the fan in the right hand and shown to be red. The second card is taken in front of the first card shown the same way. Before the third card is taken the bottom card is glided back using the left third finger and two cards are taken as one. The last card in the left hand is turned face up and shown to be red and is put on the bottom.

At this point there are 5 cards the audience thinks 4 and the QS is in the middle. This exact count is repeated now, the QS will be the last card in the left hand.

The QS is put on the top and the count is made again the same way showing 4 red cards (the QS is hidden behind the bottom card in the fan) and the last card in the left hand is looked at by the performer (a red card which they assume is the QS) but not shown and put face down on the table.

5 The count is made again and the QS appears in the left hand.

The QS is dropped on the packet of three reds (which they think are 2 reds) which are now face up and the top 2 cards QS and a red are pushed off to the right and the remaining 2 cards held together as one. The packet is assembled with a break taken between the 2 red cards and the red and the QS.

The left hand turns the 2 cards below the break face down and the right hand turns the QS (with a red card behind it) face down on top. The top card presumably the QS but a red card is dealt face down on the other discarded cards.

6 Buckle count the three cards as two showing 2 reds and put the left hand card on the right packet.

Buckle count again, very slowly and suspiciously look at the card in the left hand, expecting it to be the QS but it is red and the performer looks relieved. He then turns over the card(s) in the right hand and is exasperated to see it is the QS. The performer drops it (them) on the left hand card and deals the top card (presumably the QS but a red card) to the table.

7 The face of the card(s) is shown to be red by holding it with the thumb at the rear short end and the fingers at the outer short end. The card(s) are lowered so it (they) are parallel to the floor and a side steal is make of the bottom red card into the right palm. The packet is held in the right hand as the left hand goes to the pocket for the card case. Not finding it, the performer remembers he put it in his right pocket and so he transfers the single card (the QS) to the left hand as the right had goes to the right pocket for the card case leaving the palmed card.

As I said, this is great Perverse Magic but it does require good acting which Fred
Kaps was a master at.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » February 1st, 2006, 3:49 am

Perverse Rock

I have previously written here about how I think rocks are excellent props and I gave three suggestion for their use (see Genii Forum Close Up Magic November 18th 2002 and this thread February 1, 2004). Rocks are easily available and, in the right circumstances the production of a rock can be very unexpected and funny.

For example, at a dinner table you ask a woman if she would take off her ring and when she does you hold it in your left palm and say you just bought a paper that tells how to make the stone bigger. You bring your hands together for an instant and when separated, instead of the ring theres a rock. You look very confused. Oh my gosh! Is that what they meant by a bigger stone? and you reach into your pocket and start reading a paper to see what you did wrong. Then you smile and reach into your pocket and return the ring.

Notes:

1 Be very careful when you borrow a ring. Here the ring is lapped (see below) but care must be taken that that ring doesnt fall on the floor either because you missed your lap or because it fell through the space between your legs.

I cant emphasize this too much you damage the ring!

2 The rock is on my lap at the beginning of the effect. When I have the ring in
the palm of my left hand I classic palm the rock in my right hand.

3 The switch is done using a sleeving move that is describe in Bobo (Page 117)
but instead of letting the ring go into the sleeve it goes into the lap as the
rock is left in its place.

4 I am surprised and shocked when the rock takes the place of the ring. My
right hand drops to my lap and palms the ring and as I stand my left hand goes into my left pocket and then my right hand goes into my right pocket and leaves the ring. Finally my left hand goes into my right hand jacket pocket and finds the paper I was looking for that supposedly is the instructions for how to make the stone larger. I look at the paper and shake my head.

5 I keep looking for the ring and finally find it and then I smile and give back the ring.

(There will be those that feel I should change the rock back to the ring but I disagree it would be an anti climax. In close up magic theres nothing wrong with ending the role playing at the end of the effect and joining the group again.)

User avatar
Gord
Posts: 384
Joined: January 18th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Brampton, Ontario
Contact:

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gord » February 4th, 2006, 1:25 pm

Originally posted by Gerald Deutsch:
Webster's Dictionary defines "perverse" as:

"willfully determined not to do what is expected or desired; contrary"
So? In my dictionary "Gay" is defined as "1: Having or showing a joyous mood." (One of many definitions, by the way.) but I don't think you'd ever say to your wife "Gee honey, I'm feeling mighty gay tonight."

The word "Perverse" has a negative connotation and is too damn close to "Perverted" in people's minds. If you put "The Perverse Magician" on your business cards you will not get a lot of business.
If you wish to define your act by the definition you gave, then may I suggest "The Unexpected Magician" instead?

Just a thought.

Gord

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » March 1st, 2006, 3:28 am

Out of This World/ Now You See It

Out of This World

As Ive said before, Perverse Magic lets the performer appear to be an ordinary guy caught up in what happens rather than a smug, superior person, the impression that so many magicians portray.

There are many standard effects than can be presented as Perverse Magic. Out of This World is one. Im sure everyone in magic is familiar with this masterpiece by Paul Curry (which was voted the best card trick in the 40s in a column by Fred Braue in Hugards Magic Monthly) but Ill mention the effect briefly.

A red card and a black card is placed face up on the table and a deck of cards is given to a spectator to deal the cards face down one at a time on either the red card or the black card. When the spectator deals about half the deck, another spectator is asked to finish the remainder of the deck and at the end, the reds are with the reds and the blacks are with the black.

It seemed to me that this can be presented as Perverse Magic. Youre at someones house and youve done some card tricks. Let me do one more. Do you have a pair of gloves? The host brings you the gloves and you look them over carefully and nod. They will do. You ask a spectator to put on the gloves and deal the cards and when you switch to the second spectator you have the first spectator give the gloves to the second.

When the miracle happens its not because youre great it must be the gloves.


Now You See It

Of course Out of This World requires a set up and I like to do the set up in the course of a previous trick and the trick I use is based on Now You See It from The Royal Road to Card Magic with some variations which Ill describe now:

1 A card is selected and shuffled back in the deck and the spectator is given the deck to shuffle.

2 The performer says he needs four chances to find the card and he pulls out four cards.

3 He shows the four cards and none is the selected card.

4 The performer is confused and pulls out a sheet of paper instructions and looks at it.

5 The performer, following the instructions, tells the spectator to touch one of the four cards and when she does its her card.

Heres how (the numbers below correspond to the numbers above):

1 The card is forced and shuffled back in the deck and the deck given to the spectator to shuffle. I always force a small red card, say 2D.

2 While going through the deck to find the four cards I set the deck up for Out of This World. I pull out the cards which I dont show and lay them face down on the table. The cards are:

* The selected card

* The JS

* The QC

* The KS

3 The four cards are picked up so that the selected card is on top followed by the JS, QC, and KS. I show the cards as follows: (This assumes the spectator is sitting to the performers left.)

* Buckle count turning over three as one showing the QC. Its not their card. The three cards are turned face down and the top card the selected card goes face down on the table.

* I turn over the top card the JS. Its not their card. I turn it face down and it goes face down on the table to the left of the selected card.

* I pull out the bottom of the last two cards, the KS. Its not their card and I deal it face down to the right of the selected card.

* I turn over the last card, the QC (Theyve seen this before but because of the selection of picture cards they wont be aware of it). Its not their card. Its turned face down and dealt to the right of the KS.

The selected card is second closest to the spectator. Note if the spectator is
Sitting opposite then lay out the cards so that the selected card is still second
closest

4 Perverse Magic

5 The four cards are now on the table and, again, should be placed so that JS is closest to the spectator, followed by the selected card then the other two cards.

You tell the spectator to touch one card. Most of the time they will psychologically choose the selected card because of its location.

If that doesnt happen tell the spectator Uh no two hand one on each card. If one of the cards touched is the selected card you say. Lift one hand. A magicians force.

If neither of the two cards touched are the selected card you remove those cards and say of the remaining two, Give me one. A magicians force.

Both of these effects, Out of This World and Now You See It as presented as
suggested here are examples of the 6th category of Perverse Magic as explained
above (December 2005).

(Note: I gave my thoughts about the final display of the cards for Out of This
World on the forum under close up magic on November 25, 2002. I continue to
believe that the correct pile should be displayed last.)

User avatar
Spellbinder
Posts: 472
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: New Jersey
Contact:

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Spellbinder » March 2nd, 2006, 2:41 am

Here's the place to study "Perverse Magic." Don't laugh too hard; you'll hurt yourself.

http://tinyurl.com/raf4o
Phineas Spellbinder
The Magic Nook

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » April 2nd, 2006, 4:10 am

Perverse Through the Table

Coins through the table is a classic effect but putting coins (and other objects) through a table is a great opportunity to show a Perverse Magic effect.

Let me give you some examples:

1 Coin only half a coin goes through

See this thread above December 27, 2002

2 Sugar Cube Sugar goes through wrapper doesnt

See my contribution to Apocalypse June 1992 (page 2082) and December 1992 (page 2158)

3 Dollar Bill Only picture of head goes through not rest of bill

See my contribution to Magic The Magazine for Magicians May 2003 (page 70).

4 Bent Coin

The bent coin (a coin folded into a C) is written up in Modern Coin Magic (Bobo) on page 186 a great prop for Perverse Magic.

The bent quarter can be used to create a Perverse coin through the table.

(I bend the quarter by holding each side with a pair of pliers and bend it.)

The routine I do is to first pass a quarter through the table and explain I was lucky that it went so easily. That doesnt always happen. Well, since Im feeling lucky Ill just do it again. This time I have trouble and I give up when I show the quarter is bent.


There are two ways I do this one way the bent quarter is shown in the hand UNDER the table (it went but bent) and the other way in the hand ABOVE the table (it didnt go).

I always pass the quarter through first as follows:

I borrow a quarter and take it in my right hand. I close my hand putting the coin in the classic palm and then I turn my hand palm down and pretend the coin is being held between my thumb and fingers. (I believe this is Al Schneiders thinking) and then pretend to put the coin in my left hand. My right hand (with the quarter classic palmed) goes under the table and the left hand which is supposed to have the quarter) stays on top and pushes the quarter through.

The bent quarter is on my lap (actually, between my thighs) Slydini taught me how to pull the material from my left pants over to my right to cover the hole between my legs) and is taken and finger palmed in either my left hand or right hand depending on whether the coin will appear above the table (left hand) or below the table (right hand)

For the bent quarter to appear in the right hand below the table (it passed through) it is finger palmed in the right hand which goes below the table again and the left hand takes the borrowed quarter and performs Slydinis Revolve Vanish (The Best of Slydini and More page 41). Show the quarter is not in the left hand and look upset when you bring out the right hand with the bent quarter.

For the bent quarter to appear in the left hand above the table (it didnt pass through) it is finger palmed in the left hand while the right hand takes the real quarter and performs what I call the Reverse Revolve. It is Slydinis Revolve vanish done with the right hand instead of the left hand but the right hand pretends it still has the coin and pretends to put it in the left hand and then goes under the table.. Struggle trying to get the coin to pass through the table and then show the bent quarter.

Either way, return the bent quarter to the lender and apologize.

Good Perverse Magic

Guest

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Guest » April 8th, 2006, 10:11 am

Edward Victor's Eleven card trick.

John R

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » April 8th, 2006, 12:29 pm

Edward Victor's Eleven Card Trick is described in this thread way back above on February 5, 2003

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » May 1st, 2006, 3:34 am

PERVERSE SANDWICH

EFFECT

(I use this as a follow up to Cutting the Aces see May 1, 2004 above where, instead of cutting the wanted aces, I cut instead four indifferent cards. Those four indifferent cards are then used here. Assume that for purposes of this explanation the four fives are on the table.)

The deck is spread face up and a spectator is asked to take a card and dont let me see it. This gets a laugh and you apologize and say youre new at this. It doesnt matter if you see it.

Assume the 4H is taken (and while I dont usually like to have cards signed, here its a good idea to do so) and, as noted above, assume that the four fives are on the table. To sort of make a contrast, the black fives are used and the 4H is put face down between the two face down fives. The packet is put on top of the deck with a face up five showing.

A spectator is asked to select one of the two red fives on the table and that is given to her to hold. The remaining red five is put on the bottom of the deck, the magician saying its not needed anymore . The deck is cut.

The spectator is told to wave her red five over the deck and you tell her that the face down selected card between the two black fives will turn face up. She does but when the magician spreads the deck, the card between the black fives is still face down. Disappointed, the magician turns it over and he and the audience are surprised to see it is not the selected card but the red five that was put separately into the deck before.

Looking through the deck, there is no sign of the selected card. The magician searches and with much confusion, he finds it in his pocket. I quit! he says.

EXPLANATION

I contributed this to Harry Loraynes Best of Friends II (page 114) under the name Eye Cop and, as Harry notes there, I combined his One Eye Jack Sandwich (My Favorite Card Tricks) with his Halo Cut (Rim Shots) which of course is Harrys way of cutting the deck keeping the bottom card on the bottom.

I didnt use the Perverse theme in Eye Cop as Im describing it here. Also, in Eye Cop, Harry feels that its better to perform this seated so that the selected card can be lapped but he does point out that the effect can be done standing and thats how Ill describe it here.

Anyway:

* When a card is selected pick up the two fives (assuming fives are used in the previous effect) that are the opposite color of the selected card so that, if for example the 4H was selected, pick up the 5C and 5S.

* Put the 4H face down between the face up fives and put the three card packet on top of the deck with the fives face up.

* Get a break under the top face up five and double cut the deck.

* Tell the spectator to select one of the red fives on the table which she holds and the remaining red five is put face down on the bottom of the deck (just below the face up black five).

* The deck is now turned face up.

* Perform Harrys Halo Cut (let me know if you dont have access to this) which has the effect of:

** Bringing the selected four of hearts to the top of the face up deck

** Bringing the sandwich to the center of the deck but with the red five that was put on the bottom now between the black fives.

* Turn the deck face down

* Palm off the selected card as you give the deck to another spectator.

* Tell the first spectator to wave the red five she is holding over the deck as you put BOTH hands in your pockets, leaving the selected card in your right trouser pocket (See above September 1, 2004 Worlds Fastest Card Trick).

* Take the deck and spread it and you are surprised that the card is still face down and even more surprised when it is not the selected card but the other five.

* Turn the deck face up and look QUICKLY for the selected card and give the deck to the spectator (so that your hands are empty).

* Start looking for the selected card in your pockets. QUICKLY reach into your left trouser pocket and, not finding it, (and showing your right hand absolutely empty, find the card in your right trouser pocket looking even more puzzled and confused.

This has the perfect ingredient for a Perverse Magic effect what happens (the card
in your pocket) is stronger than what you say will happen (he card will turn face
up).

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » June 1st, 2006, 6:52 am

Perverse Olives

Background

As Ive said, I do a lot of my magic when out for lunch with business associates. (As a Slydini student I do quite a bit of table magic but although I use many of Slydinis principles, I have my own style which is much different than Slydinis and I keep remembering him telling me to Slow down.)

(Let me also spend a minute about for whom I do magic. I am not a professional which means that my audience would be (i) strangers when I perform for charity (ii) friends and since my friends have all seen my magic and I dont come up with something new every day I dont often perform for friends and (iii) new acquaintances for whom I do most of my magic. And most new acquaintances are business acquaintances and, as is common, we go to lunch for our first meeting. Now I have learned that its important to know when (and when not to) do magic in those circumstances. If its a business lunch it wasnt arranged to see a magic act so I usually prefer to get the business part of the meeting started. Then, and only if the circumstances warrant, I may do something like this effect during appetizers.)

This routine, like my dice routine (see above April 2005) was inspired by my good friend Johnny Benzais Four D Balls and it is a bit similar to my dice routine except its totally impromptu.

Effect

1 The magician drops two black olives into his left hand and sprinkles salt on them and shows that one has become invisible. He explains that most people dont know that salt can do this. (Sixth category of Perverse Magic.)

2 He repeats this with the second and that also becomes invisible.

3 He picks up an invisible olive and sprinkles pepper on it and it becomes visible, again explaining that its something in the pepper that he doesnt understand.

4 He offers to show the spectator how it feels to have an olive become invisible and so he puts one in the spectators hand and instead of becoming invisible it becomes a green olive. The magician is confused.

5 He takes the green olive and says he will try to change it back but it becomes a roll. Hes more confused and he scratches his head.

6 He breaks open the roll and inside is the black olive. He shrugs and eats the olive.

Preparation

At the beginning of the meal no one is expecting anything so its easy to prepare. Just:

1 Secretly take a roll and a black and green olive

2 Push the black olive into the roll from the bottom.

3 Leave the roll on the chair between your legs with the green olive in front of it.

4 A salt shaker should be on the right side of the table and a pepper shaker is toward the left.

The Routine

The numbers below correspond to the numbers in the Effect section above.

1 Show the two black olives in the right hand. Toss the olives into the left hand but as the right hand turns over, the right thumb falls on the one closest to the right and holds it back in sort of a thumb palm and lets the other olive fall to the left hand.

The right hand then swings in an arc from the left hand to the salt shaker on the right in sort of a U. The bottom of the U is over the lap and when the right hand is at that position the thumb palmed olive is dropped to the lap as the right hand continues its journey to get the salt shaker.

The salt is sprinkled on the closed left fist to show only one olive.

2 The left hand closes on the olive and the fist turns palm down as Slydinis Revolve is performed allowing the second olive to be lapped, joining the first.

The Revolve is performed by having the open left hand at a 45 degree angle to the table edge and the bottom of the little finger touching the table edge. The left hand (i) starts to close, (ii) as it revolves to be palm down and (iii) moves forward and (iv) as this happens the olive falls to the lap.

The right hand gets the salt shaker and again sprinkles the left fist and again shows the second olive became invisible.

3 Slydinis Impass is performed as an invisible olive is picked up with the left hand and put into the right fist.

I do the Impass a bit differently than Slydini more like David Roths version. You gesture and both hands rest on your lap with the left hand falling on one of the black olives. The right hand gestures again as you say something about what salt can do and if fall back, this time with the fingers on the table edge. The left hand, with the olive, now comes up to pick up the invisible black olive but on the way up it leaves the black olive it hold in the right thumb palm. The left hand continues to pick up the invisible olive and drops it into the right fist (which now has the visible black olive).

The left hand gets the pepper shaker and sprinkles pepper on the closed right fist and shows that pepper makes the olive visible.

4 Now relax. I looks like everythings over. But (i) take the remaining lapped black olive from your lap and put it in your pocket and (ii) finger palm the green olive in your right hand.

As an afterthought, say that you want a spectator to see how it feels to have an olive become invisible in her hand. Pick up the black olive with your right hand and toll it to your left and perform the Bobo Switch (tossing the finger palmed green olive and holding back the black olive between the thumb and forefinger). Put the green (she thinks black) in her hand and lap the black olive as you reach for the PEPPER. Sprinkle pepper and then realizing your mistake it should have been salt and when she opens her hand act surprised when she has a green olive.

5 Palm the roll in your right hand and take the green olive in your left hand. Perform the Revolve and smack the left hand against the top of the right fist and release the roll. Look startled.

6 Still looking confused tear open the roll and shake your head as you find the black olive and eat it.

Get rid of the black olive on your lap at your convenience theres no rush and you will leave with two black olives in your pocket which you can eat later that afternoon.

Impromptu Perverse Magic

Guest

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Guest » June 5th, 2006, 9:51 am

Gerald,
I very much appreciate your thread.
For me, it shows perfectely how presentation can change an effect and it also shows how a situation of conflict between a magician and an inanimate object can create interest and meaning for the public. For those interested, Darwin Ortiz talks about this way of creating meaning on page 162 of Strong Magic. For those who dont like the term perverse, what about conflicting or adverse?

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » July 1st, 2006, 3:51 am

Calculating Deck Name a Card

The fifth classification of Perverse Magic The magician and the audience are on different planes as to what each sees lends itself to false explanations at to how a trick was done. The magician does something and then explains how with an explanation that makes no sense but he acts as though he really believes it.

There are two effects in Harry Loraynes The Magic Book which Ive combined, one being the effect and the other the silly explanation and they are The Calculating Deck and Name a Card on pages 127 and 129 respectively.

I do Name a Card first and then use Calculating Deck as the explanation.

Ill just describe the effect and not the method as Im sure most people have The Magic Book.

1 The spectator cuts the deck in half and you look at the top card of the bottom half and say, This card tells me that the top card of the other half is the_________.

2 This is repeated twice.

3 You then explain how its done.

The spectator cuts again and lets say the card cut to is a 7.

You say already know the top card and lets say its a 10. You say, Thats a seven and if I add 3 (you just do the math subtraction the 7 from the 10 and come to a 3) I get a 10. The top card should be a 10 and it is.

Thats it and dont make a big deal of it. Just act as if its simple. Its just a quickie.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » August 1st, 2006, 2:56 am

Perverse Coin From Ear

Effect

Ive been practicing how to pull a coin from a kids ear. They love that, the magician says to his new date as they are finishing dinner. Show me, she says with a smile and he shows both hands empty and with his left hand he reaches to her right ear and nothing. He now reaches with his right hand to her left ear and and comes away with an ear! Damn! I screwed that up! His date shakes her head and smiles, thinking how cute and adorable this guy is. I hope you wont screw up other things you do.

Comment About Bob Little

Whenever I go to the dealer room at a magic convention the first dealer I look for is Bob Little. He has stuff no one else has. For example:

* Rubber Ear used in this effect

* Spoon or Fork on hinge.

I bought this (both the spoon and the fork) and at a restaurant I lay one or the other next to the other utensils.

I call the waitress over and, as I pick up the, say, fork, and show how it swings on its hinge I say, How are you supposed to eat with this?

* Bird Sounds

Unlike the Squeeker, the devise that makes the bird sounds makes the sound when pressure is RELEASED. So I press, release, and then, with my hands clearly empty the sound of the bird is heard and I look around confused and then I smile.

Method for Perverse Coin From Ear

As noted, I start showing both hands empty. I dont stress the obvious saying my hands are empty but I clap my hands together which clearly shows both hands empty.

For the rest:

* Seated

Rubber ear on lap.

Lean forward as you reach with left hand to her right ear and right hand falls to lap on rubber ear.

Not finding a coin, (i) the body leans back, (ii) the left hand comes back to rest on the table in front of you and (iii) the right hand, with the rubber ear comes up to rest next to the left hand. All three happen at the same time.

This is one of the principles that Slydini taught me what he calls timing where the body moves in coordination and so the spectators dont see the right hand dropping to the lap, getting whatever and then coming back to the table.

Lean forward and the right hand, with the rubber ear goes to her left ear and produces the rubber ear.

* Standing

Rubber ear up right sleeve. (It can be put there nonchalantly by keeping it in the right inner jacket pocket and, at the appropriate time, dropping it into the sleeve.

Reach out with the left hand as right hand drops to side letting the ear fall into the right hand.

Then reach out with the right hand.

Note

This is throwaway, not a major magic effect and done tongue in cheek or ear in ear.

Note also I regularly do magic for kids at a hospital but I would NEVER do this there.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » September 1st, 2006, 3:50 am

Perverse Cassette

In his book, Cardmagic, Richard Kaufman published Cassette, a card effect that had an interaction with a cassette tape. This concept affords the opportunity for good Perverse Magic.

Effect

You tell the audience that magic is taught to magicians in books, on video tapes and audio tapes and you just found a great trick on a cassette. You take out a cassette player and show it and put it on the table. You explain that you really should have practiced more but, what the heck you think you can do it.

1 You have a card selected and shuffled back in the deck.

2 You make a gesture and turn over the top card, expecting it to be the selected card but its not and then you act puzzled.

3 You put the tape in the cassette and the dialogue (following Richards concept in Cardmagic) goes like this:

Tape: You screwed up. Its not supposed to be the top card.

You: (Scratching your head) So what do I do?

Tape: Turn the deck face up.

You: (Turning the deck face up) Okay, now what.

Tape: Ask the spectator to name the card.

4 It may take some time here so you shut off the machine and the spectator
names the card. You look confused again and turn on the machine.

You: Now what?

Tape: Now spell the card

5 You again shut off the machine and you spell the card and on the last letter its the selected card. You smile and turn on the machine.

You: Hows that?

Tape: Youre not done. Turn the deck face down. (You do showing all blue backs.) Now turn the card face down. (You do showing a red back.)

You: Hey thats good.

Explanation

(The numbers below correspond to the numbers above.)

1 Of course the card is forced and the classic force works best here as Richard Kaufman explains in his version of the effect in Cardmagic.

3 The deck is switched as you get the tape.

I dont know whos deck switch this is but I did see Daryl do this at a lecture. It goes like this:

* The tape is in the left jacket pocket and the prepared deck (blue back with a red back card a duplicate of the card thats forced from the blue back deck say the 4C in spell position from the bottom) is in the right jacket pocket.

* You look in the machine and find no tape and you start looking for it:

** You put both hands in your jacket pockets, the right hand with the deck in the right pocket going against the body and the fingers of the right hand going around the deck thats there and the left hand going into the left pocket for the tape.

** Your left hand comes out first with the tape and the right hand comes out with the switched deck.

I think the rest is clear.

Good Perverse Magic. Youre not doing it the cassette is!

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » October 1st, 2006, 3:49 am

Key Ring (or Poor Mans Ring Flight)

Effect

1 Im sure well compromise on the few open points remaining, he said to the
young woman representing the opposing party in the negotiation. I m not so sure, she said. Lets enjoy our lunch. Thats a beautiful ring youre wearing, he said to her. May I see it? Can you take it off your finger? The woman takes her ring off her finger and gives it to him. You know, he says, Ive read that you can really make a ring shine if you put salt on it.

2 He reaches for the salt shaker and sprinkles salt on his hand holding the ring
and rubs in the salt. Then he opens his hand and to his surprise and the womans surprise is a key! I dont understand this at all! the man says.

3 The man stares at the key now on the table and says, You know that looks like my mail box key.

He reaches into his pocket for his keys and there, to his surprise, and confusion, between the keys, where his house key should be is her ring. He shakes his head in confusion and returns the ring to the woman who is smiling and both KNOW that the remaining points in the negotiation will be resolved easily.

Comments and Preparation

This is one of the two sit down effects that I contributed to Harry Loraynes Best
of Friends Volume II (the other being Aces Through the Table called Four
Through on page 553).

The key ring that I use is a inch loose leaf ring that costs about 25 cents (sorry
dealers). I keep four keys on this ring, a very large key, a medium key, a small
Key (my mailbox key) and another medium key. The order is important because
the borrowed ring is going to go where the small key (the mailbox key) is and when
I hold up the keys by the very large key, the ring will be in the center, between the
two medium keys.

When Im going to do the effect I secretly (i) take the keychain out of my pocket, (ii)
open it, (iii) remove the small key which I finger palm in my right hand and (iv)
leave the key ring opened gripped between my knees.

Routine

The numbers below correspond to the numbers under Effect:

1 This is not an effect that can be done where you are performing for a large number of people. It is an effect, as shown here, to be done in an intimate setting and, of course, seated.

Also, as shown here, it can be done in a business setting BUT, it is important that, in a business setting the magic should be introduced at an appropriate time. Here, it is introduced at a relaxed lunch.

I find that introducing magic unexpectedly at a relaxed business lunch as suggested here can do much to relax opponents and help to conclude a deal. And I find that its usually best to do only ONE strong effect. Then stop!

2 I believe Ive described this move in this thread above but Ill do it again:

* As the ring is tossed from the right to the left hand the Bobo Switch (Modern Coin Magic page 10) is done so that the key goes into the left hand and the ring stays in the right hand.

* As the right hand reaches for the salt shaker on the right, the right hand swings in an arc and as it passes over the lap the ring is dropped.

CAUTION IT IS HER RING! BE SURE IT IS NOT DROPPED AND DOES NOT FALL BETWEEN YOUR LEGS!

* The salt is sprinkled on the left hand and when it is opened you are surprised to see the key.

3 * While the effect seems over and while you are looking at the key, you
secretly put the ring onto the open key ring and snap the key ring closed.

Then (i) the right hand closes around the key chain, (ii) you stand and (iii) the right hand goes to the right trouser pocket. As per Fred Braue, the right hand leaves the key ring and pulls out something else (handkerchief etc) and puts that into the left hand and then goes back in for the key chain.

You hold the key chain by the large key so that the ring is between the two medium sized keys. You open the key ring (pretending its harder to open than it really is), remove the ring, give it back, replace your key and close the key ring and put it away.

Good Perverse Magic!

Guest

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Guest » October 1st, 2006, 8:55 am

Great routine. Thank you so much.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » November 1st, 2006, 3:18 am

Encore to Pen Coin Routine

Back up on this thread (November 23, 2003) I described my Pen Coin Routine and ended it as follows:

6 Finally, take back the pen once more, pull off the cap and hold it in the right hand between the thumb and forefinger (opening face down) and shake it, allowing the quarter to fall from the palm to the table below. "I guess I can keep the quarter since I found it." (I don't know whose idea it was to shake to quarter from the pen cap but it's a perfect ending for this routine.)

I now have sort of an encore to the routine.

I think this all has something to do with the way the pen hits the coin, says the magician as he strikes the coin with the pen and is surprised when the pen vanishes.

Puzzled, he makes the motion he did when the pen vanished and again to his surprise, the pen reappears.

Still puzzled, he looks down and is again surprised to see the pen again is gone. Confused, he looks for the pen in his pockets and finds in and returns it.

Comments

1 Ive always liked the effect of vanishing a pen by putting it on your ear as you swing your arm (See Tarbell 7 page 199, Harry Loraynes The Magic Book page 271) but I never liked the idea of exposing that vanish because it was too good.

However, if it wasnt exposed how would you clean up and get the pen back?

2 I solved that problem but getting the pen back the same way as vanishing it by moving my arm up and down and then, instead of leaving the pen behind my ear, I take it from behind my ear.

3 The problem is that I believe that vanish is stronger than that reproduction.

4 I recently attended a lecture by Justin Miller where he vanished a pen and fooled me because I thought he was using the Flip vanish when in actuality he sleeved the pen using the Dr. Roberts sleeving method (See Bobo page 107)

I have seen a magician friend use the Flip move to vanish a pen and then sleeve the pen but I felt that resulted in a motion that didnt look quite right.

5 So what I do here is sort of relax when the pen is reproduced and the spectators are looking up at my face because it appears that the effect is over and its at that point that I sleeve the pen using the Dr. Roberts method.

6 Of course its their pen and it has to be returned and I do the following:

* The pen is in my right sleeve and as I reach into my left pocket with my left hand, my right hand drops to my side and the pen falls into my right hand.

* I then reach into my right pocket with my right hand as, as Fred Braue suggested, I leave the pen and bring out something else looking for the pen.

* Finally I reach into my pocket and get the pen I just left there and return it.

Perverse Magic with a borrowed pen..

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » November 1st, 2006, 3:21 am

Perverse Card Routine

I have previously written about effects that have an undesired card appear see Ambitious Card above December 2002 and January 2003 but this is a routine in which a series of effects are performed with a single undesired card (The Perverse Card) constantly appearing to the annoyance of the magician.

The effects are as follows:

1 A card is selected and shuffled back into the deck and the magician says he will catch the card from the air but the card he catches is a different card (the Perverse Card).

He tries again and one card comes spinning from the deck but again it is not the selected card but the Perverse Card.

The magician explains different shuffles and them mixes the cards face up and face down and says he can make the entire deck straighten out except the selected card. Again it is the Perverse Card that is now the only card face up in the all face down deck.

Suddenly, to the confusion of the magician the Perverse card changes to the selected card.

2 The mate of the selected card is removed (that is, if the selected card is the 4C, the 4S is removed) and handed to a spectator who is asked to insert one of the two cards face up in the deck. She does and its found that it was inserted right next to a card of the same value but the other color (i.e. 4H).

The deck is shuffled and another spectator is asked to insert the other card (the selected card or its mate) face up into the deck but this time, instead of finding the last of the four cards, to the magicians annoyance, it is discovered to be right next to the Perverse Card.

The face up card is given to one of the spectators and the Perverse Card is put in the magicians breast pocket back out and visible and a spectator is asked to again put the face up card face up into the deck but once again it is next to the Perverse Card. The magician is confused and he looks at the card that has been visible in his breast pocket (which everyone thought was the Perverse Card) and when it is shown it is the last of the four cards that he was looking for. Now hes really confused.

3 The Perverse Card is put back into the deck and the magician gives the deck to be shuffled while another spectator holds the four cards that had been used and when the magician gets the deck back he shuffles the four cards into the deck.

He says he will make the four cards go into four of his pockets. And then:

* The first is in the left trouser pocket

* The second is in the right trouser pocket

* But the third is not in the back left pocket it is in the right left pocket

* But he cant find the last card and as he searches he again puts his hand in his left rear pocket and pulls out his wallet and the fourth and last of the group.

* Finally he casually reaches into his right pants pocket and surprisingly finds the Perverse Card which he angrily puts into the deck and puts the deck back into its case.

Notes on the above (the numbers below correspond with the numbers above):

1 * While any card can be the Perverse card and the selected card, I think
it is important that they be very different.

For example, if the selected card is the 9S and the Perverse card is the 9C, the spectator my not realize that you missed.

For this reason I try to make sure they are different (for example, the Perverse card is the 4S and the selected card a picture card. Of course I force a card and in this routine the forced card and the mates of the forced card are on top at the beginning. After the card is forced I find a contrasting card to be the Perverse card and get it to the top, above the forced card (and the three mates)

* The first discovery is done by palming out the Perverse card (with the selected card remaining on top) and then, getting it into a backpalm position.

The second revelation is spinning out the top card.

Of course any revelations can be used but they should be quick.

This is because when you first produce the Perverse Card the audience will think you missed and will lose interest. When you again produce that same Perverse Card they will begin to see the plot.

* The shuffle and the mixed up shuffle is A Tipsy Trick from The Royal Road to Card Magic

When the Perverse Card is revealed the selected card will be under it (as will be the mates).

What I do is deal the face up Perverse Card to the top of the deck and let my left hand with the lower half drop to my side and I push off the top card of the lower half (the selected card) and using my left leg turn it face up (See The Royal Road to Card Magic under Reverses)

I then put the face up Perverse Card on top of the face up selected card (being careful not to let the face up selected card be seen) and turn them both over as one and take off the top (selected card) and show, to my surprise that it changed.

2 * One of the big problems with card magic is that spectators hate to
have to remember selected cards and so in my routines I like to use one selected card for most of the effects in a routine that require selected cards.

* This routine of mine is published in Apocalypse on page 2224 (June 1993) under the name Jinx Mates.

3 * While the deck is being shuffled (with the 4 cards being held by a
spectator) I palm out the Perverse card and put BOTH cards in my
trouser pockets and leave the Perverse card.

* This is Dai Vernons Travelers from Stars of Magic and as it
requires an indifferent card which here is the Perverse Card but, as noted, it is revealed at the end.

* The byline for The Travelers is A Lesson in Misdirection and it certainly is. All the palming is done while the audience is misdirected and I recommend the routine most highly.

* I do the effect a bit differently than the way it is written up:

A The four cards are put into the deck and brought to the top by way of a Multiple Shift.

B With the deck held face up, two of the top cards (the bottom cards if the deck is face up) is bottom palmed in the left hand by mean so the Erdnase Bottom Palm (The Expert At The Card Table page 86).

C As you patter about the cards going to different pockets:

i Pull the Perverse Card halfway out of the right trouser pocket without showing its face.

ii Go to the left trouser pocket with the left hand (and the two palmed cards) and pull one half way out without showing the face.

iii Pat the right rear pocket and then the left rear pocket.

D Then to produce the cards:

i Pull out one of the cards in the left pocket and while dong that palm the card on top of the deck using the one hand card palm (see Card Manipulations page 2 now published by Dover)

ii Produce the card palmed in the right hand by putting the hand in the right hand pocket and producing it.

iii Put your left hand in your left rear pocket and while doing that, palm the top card in your right hand.

iv Not being able to find the card in your left rear pocket, produce the palmed card from your right rear pocket.

v You give the deck and the produced cards to a spectator while you try to find the missing fourth card. You put BOTH hands in your trouser pockets and palm the card in your left pocket and bring your hand to your left rear pocket and remove the palmed card with your wallet and show the card and give it to a spectator.

vi Casually put your hands in your pocket and you show your surprise when you find the Perverse Card in your right pocket.

My feeling is that this should be the end of any effects with cards at this performance. Smile and thank the spectators for watching and move on.

Guest

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Guest » November 1st, 2006, 12:00 pm

Mr. Deutsch,

I just found your thread today, have a devoured it while neglecting the work I should be doing. Oh Well. Your idea behind perverse magic is brilliant, and I knew it existed before, but really like the title you've put with it. Now that I have a group to throw the "Happening without my power" effects into, I can look at them in a whole different way. A couple of tricks in my arsenal that could be morphed into Perverse Magic (that I know a lot of people do) are ReCap (Greg Wilson), and Paul Harris' "Perfectionist" shuffling demonstration. The second could be done with a presentation similar to the Oil and Water you posted a while back. Anyway, Thank you for making this thread, and continue to grace us with your ideas!

P.S. "Perverse Magic" is no worse than using a "Stripper" deck, or performing "Chink-a-Chink", and nobody who's not a mgician will never hear the title. I like it.

P.P.S. The fact, Mr. Deutsch, that you are a student of Slydini's fills me with envy, and affirms the fact that I shall try to reply to your posts more often. Any good stories about The Man?

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » December 1st, 2006, 3:39 am

Perverse Patter

Tarbell defines "Patter" as the line of talk given by the magician to his audience while performing a trick. Sometimes the performer says the exact same thing every time and effect is performed, even in a close up impromptu setting.

I recall Slydini always said, "Everyone thinks that I did something funny," to cover the steal as he "shoots" his right hand into the air and then "rests" to take the coins from his left hand in performing his "Gemini Coins" in "The Magical World of Slydini" on page 46 (or "Again Six Silver Coins" in "The Magic of Slydini"on page 116)

As you have seen, Perverse Magic is magic going against the performer (or, sometimes, the performer being "in a different world" from the audience) and often frustration is the product of the effect.

There are sayings that would be appropriate for perverse effects to clearly show the relationship of the magician to the effect, such as:

* "Bear with me, I'm new at this"

* "I need more practice."

* I just learned this."

* I don't remember what to do now---"

These saying might be appropriate for some of the effects noted above such as:

** "For a Change - Perverse" April 16 2003
** "Perverse Discovery" May 20, 2003 - after 3rd discovery
** "Ryan Bill Tear" October 25, 2003
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* "Darn it!

* "I quit!"

At the end of a frustrating experience such as with:

** Partial coin thru Table and "Two Bits into Two Bits" December 27, 2002
** "Ambitious Card - Study in Frustration" January 2, 2003
** "Cutting the Aces" May 1, 2004
** "Eleven Card Trick" February 2, 2003
** Fred Kaps Homing Card January 1, 2006
** Perverse Sandwich May 1, 2006
** Perverse Card Routine November 1, 2006

And if the frustration is too much:

Dammit!

or, in appropriate situations, Oh sh
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* "I hate when that happens!"

David Copperfield uses this often. It would be appropriate for:

** "Perverse Dinner Table Interlude - Pen Routine" July 12, 2003
** "Inversion" December 6, 2003
** "Card on Ceiling" March 7, 2004
** Perverse Signed Card to Pocket November 1, 2004
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* Looking in a book to see what happened.

Roy Benson did this when a red billiard ball appeared instead of a white. I used it in:
** "Six Card Repeat"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* Facial Expressions - (looking surprised - shaking head in frustration)

Some effects for this might be:

** "Perverse Egg Bag" March 9, 2003
** "All Backs" January 2004
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Perverse Magic requires acting and presentation and you'll find some patter lines will recur as the perverse situation develops.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » December 1st, 2006, 3:42 am

Michael Rubinsteins Fusion

Effect

Her: Sweetheart, what was so important that you had to meet the magicians and so you couldnt go shopping with me? Did you learn any new magic?

Me: Yes. I learned a good trick. But I have to practice it.

Her: Come on. Show my friends. They cant believe youd rather be with your magician friends than be with me. Show them the new trick you learned.

Me: Okay. I should really practice first but Ill try. You have this quarter and I need a penny. Ah, heres one. Now what I do is put the penny on the quarter and press and the penny is supposed to penetrate the quarter.

I press the penny onto the quarter and then make a face. The penny didnt
penetrate the quarter but its now imbedded into the quarter and is now a part of
the quarter.

Me: Darn! I did something wrong! I knew I should have practiced!

Her: Let me see that! How did you do that?

Then, laughing, she says to her friends, See why I love him?

Comments

1 My friend Michael Rubinstein, the coin expert, developed this and he gave me permission to post it here. He sells the coin together with instructions. (His website is www.newyorkcoinmagic.net)

2 Michael handling is brilliant but I handle it differently than Michael in that I use (i) sleeving if Im standing or (ii) lapping if Im seated.

The motion is the same that is I use the same sleeving motion for lapping.

I guess I learned this sleeving method by reading the November 1951 issue of Hugards Magic Monthly which had a column by Ross Bertram called Sleeving- An Art.

Basically, I have the gimmicked coin classic palmed in my right hand with the side that has the penny imbedded in it against my palm and I put the regular quarter with a regular penny on top of it on my left palm.

As my palm up left hand and palm down right hand approach each other, the coins in my left hand go up my right sleeve (or go into my lap) and I press my hands together as if Im trying to get the penny to penetrate the quarter. When I separate my hands Im surprised to see the coins have fused together.

3 It would be good to be able to borrow the coins but you may not be sure that both the quarter and the penny borrowed will match the gimmick.

4 If circumstances are right, it may be appropriate to change the coin back to the regular quarter and penny. (See this thread above For a Change April 16, 2003).

Get the regular quarter and penny in the right finger palm (by either dropping your right arm and letting the coins fall to your right hand or getting it from your lap) and take the gimmicked coin in the right hand fingers and do the Bobo Switch (Modern Coin Magic page 10) and then either classic palm the gimmicked coin in the right hand (if standing) or, let it fall to your lap (if seated).

But if this is done you should express surprise and say something like, Oh Look They separated! Then scratch your head in confusion.

This is a good example of the second category of Perverse Magic the performer
says one thing will happen but something else does. And, as I explained above, it is
important that in this category of Perverse Magic, what happens has to be stronger
than what you say will happen which is the case here.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » January 1st, 2007, 4:21 am

Color Changing Card Color Changing Deck

A color changing card or deck routine can be presented as Perverse Magic in different ways.

Ill mention a few routines:

Ken Krenzels Routine Number 1

Ken Krenzel is a friend of mine and gave me several color changing deck routines with a Perverse Magic theme to publish here.

Here is the first one.

Effect

1 The magician shows a red back and a blue back deck and has a card selected from the red back deck and looked at which is put face down into the blue back deck.

2 He hands the blue back deck face up to the spectator and tells him to put the deck behind his back and try to pull out the card he selected the one red back card in the deck. He pulls out one card and it is red backed but its not the selected card. The magician is surprised to see it has a red back.

3 The magician turns the entire deck face down and is surprised to see the entire deck is red back. But then he sees one blue back card and hes very confused when it is a duplicate of the red back card selected card from the other deck that was just put into this deck a few minutes ago.


Routine

The numbers below correspond to the numbers above:

Preparation involves having two red back decks one with a single blue back
card on top. The red back duplicate of this card should be removed and discarded from this deck. To enhance the illusion the deck should be in a blue back case.

1 Of course the duplicate of the blue back card that is on top of the red back deck is forced in the red back deck.

The magician takes back the selected card and puts into the deck that has the
blue back duplicate on top.

The deck turned face up and cut.

2 Its important that the spectator does not see more that the top card and so
you should keep the deck face up when you hand it to the spectator.

3 Good acting here makes this an entertaining effect.


Ken Krenzels Routine Number 2

Ken has suggested another very good routine with a Perverse Magic ending.

Effect

1 The magician shows two blue backed decks and has a card selected from one of them and shuffled back.

2 He hands the other deck to a spectator and tells him to put the deck behind his back and turn it face up and pull out one card and it will be the selected card. Its not. Its put face up on the table. This is repeated and again its not the card that was selected in the other deck.

3 The magician is becoming anxious and takes the deck and asks the spectator to say stop and when he does the magician shows that he has indeed found the duplicate of the selected card.

4 The magician seems confused as to why it didnt work the first time and he casually turns over the first wrong card selected and to his and everyones surprise it has a red back. So does the second wrong card. AND SO DOES THE ENTIRE DECK WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE SELECTED CARD!!

Routine

The numbers below correspond to the numbers above:

Preparation involves having a red back deck with a single blue back card on top and
a blue back deck.

1 Of course the duplicate of the blue back card on top of the red back deck is forced in the blue back deck and then shuffled back. The deck is no longer used.

2 Its important that the spectator does not see more that the top card and so it may be best to just put the deck in his hands behind his back face up.

3 The Hindu Shuffle force is used as the deck is given a face up Hindu Shuffle. Of course the top card (the only blue card) is the one to be forced and when the spectator says stop:

A Put the packet in your left hand face up on the table.

B Pull out the top card of the packet in your right hand packet and show it to be the selected card.

C Put the rest of the right hand packet face up on the table next to the other packet.

D Turn the selected card face down showing a blue back.

4 Good acting is required here as well.


Insulted

This is what I call the 6th category of Perverse Magic the performer explains something that will happen but he doesnt understand why it happens.

Here the spectator is told to press on the back of the deck and the performer says this causes the back of the card to change color but he has no idea why

This appears on page 404 of Hugards Magic Monthly (March 1948)

Basically a card is selected from a blue back deck and put back in the deck and after the spectator presses the deck it is spread and one red card shows and when it is turned over it is the selected card. The deck is shown to have otherwise blue backs and then, when the selected card is turned face down again it is again blue backed.

The performer does not understand why this happens but says it always does when a spectator touches the face of a card.

This routine is done with a double back card, red on one side and blue on the other and it is placed on the bottom of the blue back deck with the red side up. When a card is selected the spectator is asked to press hard on the back of the deck. Besides this being the Perverse Magic reason why the card will change color, it will emphasize the color to the spectator.

A Hindu Shuffle is done and after a few packets have been pulled off the spectator is asked to put his card on the cards in the performers left hand and when he does the performer drops the cards in his left hand (the original bottom portion) on top which brings the double back card on top of the selected card.

The performer spreads the deck until he comes to the red back card and cuts the deck there bringing the red back card to the top of the deck with the selected card just under it. A Double Lift is performed to show the red card is the selected card.

At this point the selected card is face up on top of the deck with the double back card beneath it blue side up. The performer deals the selected card face up on the table and spreads the deck showing no other red card. He then turns over the selected card to show it is again blue and shrugs explaining he has no idea why this happens.

Colorful Spell

I contributed this to Harry Loraynes Best of Friends Volume II (page 110) and the effect is as follows:

A card is selected and shuffled back into the deck and the performer puts the deck behind his back for a moment and then brings out the deck and asks for the name of the card and then, with the deck face up he spells out the name of the card and on the last letter the card appears.

The card is left in place and the magician then cuts the deck several times naming the value of the card (say four) on the first cut, the word of on the second cut and the suit on the third cut and at the end of the third cut the card appears again.

The performer says he will make the card change from blue back to red back and he does But then he is surprised to see that then entire deck has changed from blue to red.

I wont explain the method here as Im sure most people have Harrys book.

Chicago Style

This appears as the second effect in Frank Garcias Super Subtle Card Miracles and like Colorful Spell the performer successfully does a trick but is surprised and confused about what happens afterward.

(Again, as Im sure most people have this book I wont explain the method here.)

The effect is a card selected and replaced in a blue back deck and the performer says he will make the back of the card turn red. He does and deals the red back card to the table face down. He says he will repeat the trick and another card is selected but this time, when he spreads the deck there is no red card. He is confused and curiously he turns over the face down red card on the table and he is more confused when he sees it is the second selected card.


Color changing cards and decks can be presented as good Perverse Magic.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » February 1st, 2007, 4:06 am

Slydini's Rope Routine

Slydini's rope routine is described in "The Magical World of Slydini beginning on page 15. (This is the second of the two volume sets with one volume being photos and the other being the text that was published by Tannen's in 1979.)

Slydini's routine is basically:

1 A cut and restored rope

2 A repeat

3 Professor's Nightmare (Equal- Unequal)

I won't describe the routine here as it can be obtained easily but I will explain how I use it in Perverse Magic.

* Cut and Restored and Repeat

Slydini did this routine as "Perverse Magic" - that is he looked confused and
puzzled as to what to do next and seemed unaware that the rope became restored.

I've studied with Slydini for many years and I think this is the only effect of his that I do as he did with his presentation.

But I don't follow this with the Professor's Nightmare. I do something else first. Like a card effect. And when that doesn't work (more Perverse Magic) I again go back to the rope to try the Professor's Nightmare.

* Professor's Nightmare

One of the beautiful things about this routine is that Slydini started with a
single piece of rope which he cut into the 3 pieces and at the end he tossed out the 3 ropes (of different sizes) to the audience.

The way I do this as Perverse Magic is that I appear confused when the ropes are of unequal size as I need equal size ropes (which these were a second ago).

I then look in a book to see what happened and what to do. (I saw Roy Benson look in a book when, during the course of producing white billiard balls a red ball appeared. I loved the comedy in this.) I then follow the book in how to make the ropes equal.

Then, when I think they are again equal I try to do what I planned but find they are again unequal and, in disgust I say "I quit" as I throw the ropes out to the audience.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » February 1st, 2007, 4:08 am

Idiot Rope Trick

Just above I explained that I use Slydinis rope routines (Cut Restored and Repeat and Professors Nightmare) but unlike Slydini, I dont have one effect just follow the other I do other effects between them and when those effects dont work I go back to a rope trick.

This is another rope trick that can follow an effect that is done after Professors Nightmare.

Effect

The magician tries desperately to get a rope effect that works and he tells the audience that he wants to try an effect he just learned The Stretching Rope. He asks a spectator if he can have the middle size rope that he threw out with the other two pieces at the conclusion of Professors Nightmare and a spectator tosses the rope to the magician.

The magician gathers the rope in one hand and asks a spectator to hold both ends.

The magician says that he should have practiced a bit more but he learned that if he sprinkles some rice on the rope he can get it to be stretched. He gets some rice from his pocket and tells the spectator holding the rope to stretch it out showing the spectator how by moving his hands apart but when the spectator tries to comply the magician (and the audience) is shocked to see the rope is now six inches long. Oh I quit! says the magician.

Explanation

This routine is published in Volume II of Abbotts Encyclopedia of Rope Tricks on page 280 and is credited to Clare Cummings and Bob Lewis.

The write up says:

Here is a rope trick---that makes the person who helps the magician feel like an idiot.

I disagree with that philosophy. When my wife was young, she was watching a magic show and the magician called her up to help and then subjected her to the breakaway fan and the breakaway wand embarrassing her in front of her friends. It took a lot of effort on my part to get her to marry me, knowing I was a magician. With Perverse Magic the joke is not on an innocent spectator but on the magician.

Ive changed the presentation and the handling of the effect.

An extra piece of rope 6 inches long is secretly held in the left hand and when the spectator gives you the long piece you start to accordion pleat the longer piece in the right hand in a way that the rope wont show when the hand is closed. You have some rice in your right jacket pocket.

As the long piece is accordion pleated in your hand you add the small piece and it is both ends of the small piece that you have protruding from your right hand.

Your left hand goes to your left pocket for the rice but not finding any, that hand replaces the right hand holding the rope while the right hand with the accordion pleated rope goes to the right pocket and leaves the large piece and comes out with some rice which is sprinkled on the rope.

Good Perverse Magic and no spectator feels like an idiot.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » March 1st, 2007, 3:58 am

Perverse Ambitions Card - Again

Ive discussed several Perverse Ambitious Card routines in the thread before (see above December 21, 2002, January 2, 2003) and heres another. I noted this idea in the Close Up section of the Forum on November 3, 2002 and November 25, 2003 but with a little change in the presentation, it becomes good Perverse Magic.

Effect

1 The magician has a card selected (say the 6C) and shuffled back into the deck and when he riffles the deck the 6C comes up to the top. The selected card is buried back into the deck and it again comes to the top. The magician cuts the deck and shows that the 6C can appear anywhere he wants.

2 Its so simple, the magician explains. No one would suspect that a magician would use a deck with all cards the same. As he shows all the cards are the 6C. He puts the deck on a spectator's palm.

3 Look, you can really make this dramatic, he says. Give me a number from 1 to 10. Another spectator does and the magician tells that spectator to count that number and there is not the 6C but the KH!

The magician is puzzled. He looks at the next card a KH. He spreads the deck all KH. No 6C! He is completely bewildered.

Notes

1 Of course its a one way deck (here the KH) with a single contrasting card (here the 6C).

The 6C is forced and it should be a force that cant fail (say, a riffle force) because if you miss theres no out here.

A simple ambitious card routine follows. Not too long.

2 The Hindu Shuffle, of course is used to show all the cards are the 6C.

It is brought to the top and palmed off as the deck is put on a spectators palm and another spectator is asked to count the cards back onto the first spectators palm.

3 The reason I ask for a number from 1 to 10 is to avoid the boredom in counting if the request should be for 45 or something like that.

While the spectator is counting, the magician puts both hands in his pocket leaving the 6C. Great misdirection theres no heat everyone is watching the spectator deal.

Ive explained before that putting both hands in the pockets is a natural way to get a card into your right pocket.

Good Perverse Magic

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » April 1st, 2007, 4:39 am

Coins From Her Palm

Effect

At a lively party, the magician walks over to a beautiful woman and looks at her hands, confused, and then asks for her hands which he takes in his. He turns the womans left hand palm up and her right hand palm down. The woman looks curious.

He puts his left hand palm up under her palm down right hand and when his hand emerges there is a quarter on its palm. The magician shrugs and shakes his head, not really understanding what happened and he takes the quarter with his right hand and puts it on the womans palm up left hand.

Again the magician puts his palm up left hand under the womans right hand and another quarter appears on his left palm and again, not understanding and seeming puzzled, he puts the second quarter on the quarter in her palm up left hand.

The magician now puts his right hand palm up under the womans palm down right hand and there is a third quarter, this time on his right hand which he puts with the other two, shrugs, confused and says Wow. I guess that comes in handy when you forget your purse doesnt it? The magician walks away leaving the beautiful woman with the three quarters and as he does he hears her say, Hey where are you going? Come back.

Discussion

I recently attended a lecture by Patrick Page and it was a delight to see this gentleman. I dont generally go to lectures to learn new tricks but to watch good performers. I actually prefer it when the lecturer spends the first half doing the effects and the second half explaining them because that way I can get to see the performer work which is usually the lesson.

(But I must say I did get a tip at a John Carney lecture years ago that I use all the time. John suggested that if I had to get a coin in my right hand into Classic Palm, to cover the move I could use my left forefinger to push the bridge of my glasses onto my nose. Great tip!)

Anyway, when I got home I went to my books and pulled out an old set of Pat Pages lecture notes and found his Sexy Coin Trick, (something he didnt do at the lecture and which his notes say is based on something Gus Davenport showed him.)

I had a few problems with the way it was described because, for one thing, a coin placed on the back of a womans hand was likely to fall off. I discussed this with David Roth and David suggested I have the woman hold her hand palm up. The problem with that was I wanted to produce the coins from her palm. So I decided I would use BOTH her hands, one palm up and one palm down.

Preparation

To prepare I palm two coins in my right hand and one in my left all in Classic Palm. The two coins in my right hand are not aligned the outer coin is jogged a bit toward the fingers. This way its possible to relax my grip and let one coin drop.

I take each of the womans hands in my hands and this gives the clear impression that my hands are empty. This uses what is called the Kaps subtely. (See Richard Kaufmans Coinmagic page 46.)

This is an example of the sixth category of Perverse Magic something happens but the magician doesnt understand why.

The Routine

* As I said, I take her hands with my hands and I turn her left hand palm up and
her right hand palm down.

* I reach under her right palm down hand with my left hand. Turn my left hand
palm up and move it out to the left showing the coin on my palm.

* My right hand moves over her right hand and takes the coin from my left hand
as I allow the jogged coin from my right palm to drop into my left hand. (The jogging allows one coin to fall.)

* I move my left hand back under her right hand as I deposit the coin thats now
in my right hand (that I picked up from my left hand) onto her palm up left
hand.

* I move my left hand out from under her right and show the 2nd coin. I pick it up
with my right hand and put in with other coin in her palm up left hand.

* I reach under her palm down right hand with my RIGHT hand and turn it palm
up and show the third coin. I put it with others and shrug like I just dont
understand and walk away, letting her keep the coins.

By taking the attitude that this is just something that happens that I dont understand I am performing the sixth category of Perverse Magic. It contrasts with the typical look how great I am attitude of most magicians.

Notes

1 Because touching a womans hands is rather intimate, it may not be appropriate to do this as an opening effect if you dont know the people and you are a scheduled performer but in that case it should not be hard to put your hands into your pockets and get the three coins palmed after doing some other effect.


2 I just want to say something about the Classic Palm.

It is my favorite palm (for cards AND coins) although Sol Stone, a top coin expert and a good friend of mine does not share my feelings as he feels that the Classic Palm makes the hand looked cramped and he prefers the Finger Palm. (This would be especially true as I use quarters rather than half dollars and, in fact, I do some effects where I Classic Palm a dime.)

So what I do is keep a quarter in Classic Palm (in both my hands) even when Im not performing so that I can get used to coins in my palms while I do normal everyday activities such as writing, talking on the phone etc.

And to deal with my friends objection, when doing an effect that requires the Classic Palm I try to use my hand in a way that it wont looked cramped by holding onto some object or as here, the womans hands.


(Also see The Touch of Midas by Cardini and Thumb Tax by Howard Schwarzman, both in Bobo on pages 90 and 419 respectively.)

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » May 1st, 2007, 3:59 am

Its Back

Effect

1 After trying to cut to the 4 aces and being frustrated in getting the four 5s (see this thread above May 1, 2004) the magician says he has a new trick and asks a spectator to select a card.

2 The selected card is shuffled back into the deck and shown it is not on the top and not on the bottom. The magician makes a gesture over the back and spreads the deck and shows that the selected card is face up in the face down deck.

3 Pleased with himself the magician says he will do what they tell all magicians never to do he will repeat the trick. He has another card selected and has an idea he takes back the card and signs the face. And then, as an afterthought he has the spectator sign the face as well.

4 He inserts the card face down into the center of the face down deck and again makes a gesture and spreads the deck expecting to see the selected signed card face up but but instead of a face up card theres a card from another deck.

Confused, he pulls out the card and and its the selected card with both signatures on it.

The magician is confused and gives the card to the spectator and puts the deck away.

Preparation

A regular deck with a Stranger Card (a card from another deck with a different
back design) is second from the bottom. The duplicate of the stranger is on the
bottom, just below the Stranger Card.

If Im going to do another effect first then I leave the Stranger Card and its mate
in the card case when I take out the rest of the deck and put the case back in my
pocket or leave it on the table. At the end of that effect I put the deck back into the
case and then, remembering this other effect I want to do, I remove all the cards.

Then, because I show that the first selected card is not on the bottom, I cut the top
Card, an indifferent card, to the bottom so it will be below the duplicate of the
Stranger Card, which is just below the stranger card and these cards wont be
prematurely seen.

Explanation and Comments

The numbers below correspond to the numbers above:

1 I am suggesting doing this after an effect that is NOT a pick a card trick. I have found that spectators sometimes feel uncomfortable having to remember a card. In some cases I use the same selected card for various effects to make the memory task easier for the spectator.

This effect here, however, has the selection of TWO cards because here I think its important that the spectators handle a few cards.

2 This is a standard effect. The selected card is controlled to the top but you have to be sure that the two cards remain in place on the bottom.

Then there is a double lift to show that the selected card is not on the top and then the deck is turned face up to show that it is not on the bottom. With the deck face up, the face up top card is pulled off the deck and put back face down covering the face up selected card. The deck is cut bringing the face up selection to the center, however, the bottom three cards are to remain on the bottom.

The deck must now be cut so that the face up selected card goes into the center while the bottom three cards remain on the bottom,

What I do is hold the deck face down in dealing position (the second from top is the face up selected card).

* With the thumb and second finger of the right hand I lift the right side of the deck away from the rest of the deck.

* With the first finger (index finger) I lift the upper half of the top portion of the deck that is now away from the lower portion. This cause this upper half of the top portion to swivel to the left.

* The left thumb presses down on this swiveled portion as the bottom half of the upper portion is moved away from the deck and then dropped on the deck.

The result is to have the bottom three cards remain on the bottom while the
selected face up card is now in the center.

3 The effect is, to the spectators, over they are relaxed and so you turn the deck face up and you cut the bottom two cards to the top (leaving the stranger card on the bottom. The duplicate of the stranger is on top.)

The deck is turned face down and the top card is slipped to the center. This is done by again having the fingers of the right hand raise the upper portion but now the left thumb is on the card to be forced and as the top half of the deck is moved to the right the left thumb causes the card it is pressing on to stay and it becomes the top card of the lower packet. A break is held above this card and it is forced using the Classic Force You have to be sure that the back of the bottom card is not shown.

(I like the Classic Force and use it most times when a force is necessary. As a matter of fact, I usually force a card to practice even when a force isnt necessary. There are times, however, when you just CANT miss the force and then I would use a Riffle Force. But this is not such a time. If you miss you can do something quick with the wrong card.)

Here, as I said above, I think it is important for the spectators to handle the cards as much as possible.

While the spectators are looking at the selected card you hold the deck with the faces towards you so they cant see the duplicate on the bottom. That card, the Stranger Card, is now cut to the top. The deck is held tilted towards you (so they cant see the Stranger back) and a break is taken under this card by pushing it to the right with the left thumb and then squaring the deck.

The selected card is taken back and put face down on top of the deck and then immediately a double lift is done and the spectators see what appears to be the card they just selected. The card(s) are left injogged. You sign it and then let the spectator sign.

4 You pick up both cards as one and bury them face down into the deck and I IMMEDIATELY riffle the deck and spread the cards showing the red back card to my surprise and the surprise of the spectators. This is a very startling visible change. The blue card they just saw inserted is now red.

I am often told by a friend that he or she saw a magician and when I ask who it was,
they usually dont know. This way, by having the magician sign as well as the
spectator, they have the magicians name next to the spectators name on the card
which is given as a souvenir.

Harry Lorayne

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Harry Lorayne » May 3rd, 2007, 5:00 am

Hi Jerry: You're giving away some of my good stuff here! My pleasure. But, for the record - I never taught to "gloat" when doing my 10-Card Poker Deal (find it in the Deck-Sterity section of LORAYNE: THE CLASSIC COLLECTION, just as you'll find The Lorayne Poker Deal in the Close-Up Card Magic of that same book). My "attitude" when performing it is always "No, no, I want you to win!" Anyway... HARRY LORAYNE.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » June 1st, 2007, 3:45 am

Milliken Madness

Effect


1 Michael and Bob are on line for a movie and the line is moving slowly. There are two young girls behind them who suddenly say, This waiting is boring. That prompts Michael to turn around and tell the girls that he just learned a new magic trick and asks them if they have two quarters and two pennies. One of the girls smiles and reaches into her purse and takes out the four coins.

2 Michael puts the pennies in the girls right hand and the quarters in her left hand. He then takes the pennies from the girl with his right hand tosses them into his left hand and takes the quarters from her left hand and keeps them in his right hand.

3 The idea, he says, is to make the pennies from my left and the quarters from my right hand change places. Watch closely. He squeezes his fists and opens his hands but now there is a quarter and a penny in each hand. He looks upset as he puts the coins on the girls open hands. The trick only half worked. Damn! he says. Let me try again.

4 He takes the quarter from the girls right hand and tosses it into his left hand and then tosses the penny to follow. He picks up the penny and the quarter from her left hand in his right hand. He opens his right hand and its clear that there is only the penny and the quarter there.

5 Okay, he says, Im going to make the pennies go back to my left hand and the quarters go back into my right hand. He gestures but when he opens his hands the quarters are in his left and the pennies in his right. He is very frustrated. He again puts the coins on the girls palms.

6 One more time, he says in frustration. He takes the two quarters and puts them in his left hand and takes the pennies in his right hand and squeezes his fists and shakes his head. He opens his right hand and all four coins are there and with his empty left hand he takes them and gives them back to the girl. I quit.

7 The girl smiles at her friend. Why dont we all forget about the movie and go back to my house. Id like to see more magic.

Discussion

The numbers below correspond to the numbers above:

1 The effect is basically Millikens Transposition (except for part 6 which is David Roths see below) a creation of Henry Milliken which appears in Ellison Polands Wonderful Routines of Magic and in Jerry Mentzers Close-Up Cavalcade Finale.

Instead of using quarters and half dollars, however, I use quarters and pennies so that all the coins can be borrowed. Also, theres a better contrast with pennies and quarters than there is with half dollars and quarters.

I also use an extra quarter which is classic palmed in my right hand.

2 I use the spectators open hands as a sort of table.

The first penny is tossed. As the second penny is tossed it is switched for the palmed quarter using the Bobo Switch.

I pick up the quarters in my right hand and get one into classic palm.

3 I now drop the penny and quarter from each hand onto the girls palms. A quarter is still palmed in my right hand.

Instead of having this be a trick, the magician is frustrated because it only half worked.

4 Again I toss the two coins from the girls right hand one at a time to my left hand. First the quarter and then when I toss the penny I again do the Bobo switch so that my left hand now has two quarters and there is a penny in my right hand.

I now want to get the penny that is in my right hand into classic palm position and I use something taught to me by John Carney. With the index finger of my left hand I push on my eyeglasses between the two lenses to sort of push them back on my nose and this is what the audience watches and while I do this I classic palm the penny in my right hand.

Now I do a display that will show a quarter and a penny in my right hand when there are actually a quarter and TWO pennies. And then, and instant later it will be shown that my right hand has only two pennies.

A With my right hand I take the two coins, the quarter and the penny from the girls left between my right thumb and first and second finger, with the penny on top of the quarter.

B With the palm of my right hand down, I move my thumb sliding the penny so that it is gripped between my thumb and first finger and the quarter is balanced on the third and fourth fingers.

C I then classic palm the quarter RIGHT OVER THE CLASSIC PALMED PENNY.

D I turn my closed right hand palm up and open my hand and all that can be seen is the quarter and one penny. The palmed penny under the quarter is hidden. With the fingers spread, to the audience there is no doubt that there are only those two coins.

5 Now with my hands closed I release the palmed coins and palm the quarter and I put the contents of my left hand - the quarters on the girls right hand and the contents of my right hand the pennies on her left hand.

6 I think it was Bob Kohler who suggested this ending. It is based on David Roths Three Coin Click Pass that appears in Expert Coin Magic.

The first quarter is pretended to be placed in the left hand but is kept in the right. The second quarter is tossed into the left and as it lands the two quarters in the right hand are let come together so that the click appears to come from the left hand. The single quarter in the left hand is classic palmed in that hand.

Immediately the fingers of the left hand remove the four coins from the right hand and give them back to the spectator from whom they were borrowed.

7 One of the problems with magic is that it is often forced upon the unwilling audience. It is so important to know when and where magic should be performed.

Here the situation is ideal. The girls are bored and have nothing to do but wait in line. Michael does (and only planned to do) this one effect.

And it is important for the audience to like, not only the effect but the performer and with Perverse Magic that is the idea.

It must always be remembered that magic is to entertain.


Return to “General”