Pet magic loves

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mrgoat
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Pet magic loves

Postby mrgoat » July 2nd, 2011, 1:06 pm

Rather than the nasty thread about what people don't like, how about a more positive one where we share things we love.

Here's one.

Slydini One Coin Trick

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

When I first saw this I'd been doing magic about 25 years, and I was fried. I had NO CLUE AT ALL what was happening. None. I was thinking a trick shirt, trick coin, threads, magnets. It looked like real magic. Then I got the books with it in, I'll never do it, but god, it's gorgeous.

Another was the hanging coins. I don't really like coin tricks, but when I saw this my jaw hit the floor. Had no idea. Again, it was magic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFUh5ct_McM

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Pet magic loves

Postby Richard Kaufman » July 2nd, 2011, 1:16 pm

I had the pleasure of sitting with Slydini and watching the One-Coin Routine many times. It was one of the most magical things I have ever seen. The little Italian man seemed like a real wizard. Other people do Slydini's magic, but there was something about his personality that was perfectly integrated into the tricks themselves that made them all the more amazing.

One of Slydini's routines that I have seen others do just as well (both presentationally as well as technically) is the Knotted Silks. Alan Greenberg learned it from Slydini and does it beautifully.

It's a shame that the real "Fly-Away Coin" routine is lost. The version in Stars of Magic is only a brief part of it.
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Re: Pet magic loves

Postby erdnasephile » July 2nd, 2011, 2:29 pm

David Copperfield's Flying: I know it sounds corny, but when I first saw him perform the illusion in person, it was pure goosebumps:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQXV6kbFI0k

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Re: Pet magic loves

Postby Chris Aguilar » July 2nd, 2011, 4:13 pm

mrgoat wrote:
When I first saw this I'd been doing magic about 25 years, and I was fried. I had NO CLUE AT ALL what was happening. None. I was thinking a trick shirt, trick coin, threads, magnets. It looked like real magic.


I like the routine too. But after 25 years of being in magic, the concept of lapping never occurred to you?

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Re: Pet magic loves

Postby Steve Bryant » July 2nd, 2011, 4:32 pm

I knew Slydini relied heavily on lapping when I first saw him do coin work, and yet he did his one-coin routine so well that I didn't consider it. I was convinced that he had a coin attached to the inside of his lapel, and I went so far as to have a safety pin soldered to a half dollar in an attempt to duplicate the effect. P.S. I pity folks who have seen the likes of Slydini or Albert Goshman only on video. The live performances were so much more deceptive.
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Re: Pet magic loves

Postby Chris Aguilar » July 2nd, 2011, 5:08 pm

Agreed about Goshman, who I did see live (superb). I understand the videos he did weren't the greatest.

The slydini video noted here is pretty good and I think would it would work nicely for layman eyes.

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Re: Pet magic loves

Postby Tom Gilbert » July 2nd, 2011, 10:45 pm

Agree with mrgoat and RK on Slydini's one coin routine. I've seen so many people attempt a one coin routine, but they don't even come close.

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Re: Pet magic loves

Postby Jonathan Townsend » July 2nd, 2011, 11:07 pm

One person who gets close is J. P. Laramee and last I heard he works at a magic shop in NYC.
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Re: Pet magic loves

Postby Jim Riser » July 2nd, 2011, 11:24 pm

When living/working in the LA area in the late 1960's, I was able to see many of the greats live at The Magic Castle.

One of the things that really got me was Johnny Platt's load of the previously vanished full shot glass at the end of his cups and balls routine. I had to closely watch his performance several times before seeing what he did.

The lesson learned has served me well over the years!
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Re: Pet magic loves

Postby mrgoat » July 3rd, 2011, 5:03 am

Chris Aguilar wrote:
mrgoat wrote:
When I first saw this I'd been doing magic about 25 years, and I was fried. I had NO CLUE AT ALL what was happening. None. I was thinking a trick shirt, trick coin, threads, magnets. It looked like real magic.


I like the routine too. But after 25 years of being in magic, the concept of lapping never occurred to you?


No. The misdirection was so good and the retrieval of the coin so natural, it didn't strike me for a moment that is what it could be.

Maybe I'm stupid, maybe because of my theatre training my willing suspension of disbelief gene is strong, who knows. It was just a very magical moment and I love thinking about it.

Another similar is first time I saw floating bill. I knew it had to be a thread, but I couldn't see it, and then he moved his hands all around it showing there was no thread. Wonderful stuff.

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Re: Pet magic loves

Postby Dustin Stinett » July 3rd, 2011, 5:17 am

mrgoat wrote:Rather than the nasty thread about what people don't like, how about a more positive one where we share things we love.

In no particular order (except maybe for the first three on the list, which are tied for first):

The Los Angeles Conference on Magic History

Genii magazine (which has allowed me to meet and work with some truly incredible people; a stroke of great fortune that Ill never underappreciate or take for granted)

Watching magic being performed well

Doug Henning and "Things That Go Bump in the Night"

Eric Mead and the Sponge Bunnies (and just about everything else)

Mac King's show

John Archers Magic Square (and just about everything else)

Jim Steinmeyers brain

Kalin and Jinger. Period

Chuck Fayne and Tom Ogdens ability to size up an audience in mere moments

Barry and Staurts presentation for Interlude

Tellers brain (and his performance of Shadows)

Rick Merrills delivery and, well, Rick Merrill. Period

Part of Ricky Jays brain

David Copperfield and his Weekend in New England vignette (featuring the de Kolta Chair)

Richard Rosss FISM act

Fred Kaps doing anything

The Magician starring Bill Bixby

Mike Caveney (and his brain) and Tina Lenert. Period

Magic Books; especially old ones

Magic magazines; especially old ones

Giving something to someone who I know truly treasures the item, and seeing their face when they realize its a gift, not a purchase

Max Mavens brain and, well, Max Maven. Period

Watching people grow within their art and craft over the years and then seeing them be rewarded for it

Seeing people I know do well on TV

Seeing signed cards from tricks Ive done (T&R, Card to Impossible Location, or Ambitious Card) pinned to peoples cubical walls

Very long phone conversations with my best friend, already mentioned (though he finds being mentioned distasteful so I wont mention the name again)

The SoCal Sodality

And while this list is hardly complete, I will finish with what probably really is Number One on my list: Learning something about magic every day and knowing that there will always be something to learn about magic every day

Dustin

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Re: Pet magic loves

Postby AnthonyBrahams » July 3rd, 2011, 9:50 am

I agree with Richard 100% about Slydini's One Coin Routine. He performed it for me, across a table, one-on-one. Then I could not see the coin anywhere and I was definitely certain that he had not lapped it. He pointed it out to me on the table, right in front of me, under my nose. "You know why you donna see? You donna look!"
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Re: Pet magic loves

Postby Dan LeFay » July 3rd, 2011, 10:05 am

I agree with everything being said about Slydini's One Coin routine. An ultimate close-up illusion.

Anyone of you ever seen his (most famous?) student Cellini do the linking rings live? A wonder to behold. It does not matter if you know how the rings work, he milked the effect for all it was worth and it was simply the best looking ringroutine I've ever seen.

(Unfortunately it did not translate well to video...)

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Re: Pet magic loves

Postby mrgoat » July 3rd, 2011, 10:45 am

AnthonyBrahams wrote:I agree with Richard 100% about Slydini's One Coin Routine. He performed it for me, across a table, one-on-one. Then I could not see the coin anywhere and I was definitely certain that he had not lapped it. He pointed it out to me on the table, right in front of me, under my nose. "You know why you donna see? You donna look!"


I feel better now that YOU didn't think about lapping either as you are much more knowledgeable than me!

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Re: Pet magic loves

Postby Richard Kaufman » July 3rd, 2011, 11:26 am

I first saw Slydini when I was 14, in 1972 at an IBM lecture in New York City. It was like sticking my finger in an electric socket--a JOLT to my being. I had no idea he was lapping until he started explaining things. NONE. And I immediately went home and made a cardboard box for Paper Balls to Box.

No matter how many great magicians I've seen in the last 48 years (starting at age 5), no one has ever come close to creating the feeling of real magic that Slydini created for me. He was the perfect embodiment of his theories and he executed them perfectly in conjunction with who he was as a person. The only other people who are just about at the same level are Rene Lavand, David Berglas, Del Ray, and Juan Tamariz.

As a performer, Goshman was at about the same level, but he was not creative, and his repertoire was very limited. But his act was near perfection--ditto for Ron Wilson's close-up act.

It's virtually impossible to capture this feeling on any film or video that we can afford to make in our world. It requires a great director, and a great editor, and multiple cameras with lots of cutting, to recreate the magical experience on film or video. No one in our field has that ability. It requires cutting away from the hands to the performer's face in order to get the full emotional impact, something with is anathema to filming magic (a great paradox).

When Slydini first showed me the Linking Pins, I was just blown away. I liked the Andrus routine, but Slydini's was so much more magical. I begged him to let me write it for Apocalypse, but it's one of those tricks that you need to do for people to see how magical the effect is. Slydini understood the optical nature of magic and what the human eye sees and DOESN'T SEE in a very deep way. When he first revealed the gimmick, and how big the gap in the pin was, I was flabbergasted.
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Re: Pet magic loves

Postby Tom Frame » July 3rd, 2011, 5:40 pm

I've raved him before and I'll rave about him again. Sitting at the table with Del Ray was the most magical experience of my life.

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Re: Pet magic loves

Postby Glenn Bishop » July 3rd, 2011, 7:56 pm

Dai Vernon doing the wand spin at a convention in Iowa. Also I got the opportunity to learn three card monte from him at this convention. That was another amazing experience.

Seeing Jack Pyle performing his bridge deal - Don Alan producing that big nut for the first time at a live show. Jack Gwynne performing the rice bowls at a school show. My dad doing the rope time.

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Re: Pet magic loves

Postby Jonathan Townsend » July 3rd, 2011, 9:47 pm

It might make good sense to edit the frame (amount of picture on the screen by digital zoom) to center on where the audience is supposed to be looking than to try and cut to and from the performer in truly split second flashes. The technique was used in "It's a Wonderful Life" for a shot in the scene at the bar where Jimmy Stewart's character breaks down to get that one of a kind take centered and full frame.
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Re: Pet magic loves

Postby SteveP » July 4th, 2011, 8:30 am

Unless you had a chance to sit across from Slydini and watch him perform, it's hard to fully appreciate how great he was. I was fortunate to spend about 6 hours with Slydini in 1982 at The Desert Magic Seminar, having dinner with him, Alan Alan, Bobby Bernard and a friend in Vegas. Slydini ruled the table.

To me, the most magical thing he did was removing an imaginary thread from his tie and threading it on an imaginary needle to sew it back in. You'd swear you saw the thread.

Saw him lecture that year as well. No explanation could have been possible for the Paper Balls in Box.

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Re: Pet magic loves

Postby Jonathan Townsend » July 4th, 2011, 10:35 am

I was fortunate to be around some gatherings attended by Slydini, spend time with one of his students who has integrated the lessons into his own style of magic and also to spend some time with a student who does the material as taught, IMHO both flawlessly and organically. No names - but you can meet them both in NYC if you so desire.

A layman, magic fan got to meet Slydini. He recalls the tailor bit - the invisible needle, cloth, button etc. He was so impressed by that.

As with Del Ray, the guy had Rapport skills. In person you connected and the magic worked. The methods were integrated into the scripting and you got to see the character in action - a magician. That's my "magic pet love" - when the character and the backstage stuff gets past the proscenium arch to the audience successfully.

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Re: Pet magic loves

Postby mrgoat » July 7th, 2011, 4:36 am

Another favorite magic moment was being at the Castle, sitting in Vernon's chair and doing one of his tricks on a couple of laypeople. I got goosebumps.

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Re: Pet magic loves

Postby Glenn Bishop » July 7th, 2011, 10:07 am

Another favorite moment was performing a show - one of the several shows I did as I was booked to do 3 a day for a week - in the close up gallery of the magic castle - and Billy McComb was in the audience and said "he did not see the loads for the cups and balls" and "my dad would have been proud."

Other Magic castle moment came later - like sitting in Vernon's chair and having a mini sesson with Tony Picasso and Rich Cowly at different times - sesson on riffle culling and ace cutting.

A warm up for my lecture later on in the week.

Cheers!
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Re: Pet magic loves

Postby El Mystico » July 7th, 2011, 12:23 pm

Seeing an old guy perform colour changes in the Marlborough Arms in London. Absolutely impossible. I later learned he was Fred Robinson.

Michael Vincent coming from nowhere to win a Magic Circle Close Up competition - I was prepared to believe it was real magic.


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