TOM STONE, from Sweden knocked us dead Friday in the Close Up Gallery at the Castle... opening line... "Nice to be here... many have told me how well I have been doing here... Although they could be lying! Almost at the start of his cups and balls a "final load" ball shows up... he said, "Oh, that's too soon, now I don't have an ending."
Believe me... he did have an ending...!!!!
Charming, witty, great sense of timing/material, coin in bottle, coin work, strong card premises, great running gag...
Book him!
Ron told him, after, "Next time you can come we'll book you for 2 weeks instead of 1.
stay tooned...
:)
Wonderful performer
Wonderful performer
Stay tooned.
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Re: Wonderful performer
Pete,
Thanks for posting. Tom will be here in the Pacific Northwest on Friday March 1st for a lecture sponsored by IBM Rings 52 and 70.
I had planned on going based entirely on Tom's posts here on Genii. He is a thoughtful guy and I'm looking forward to a perspective on close up that isn't US-centric. It's nice to know that his show is a strong one!
I wrote him asking what sort of notes, video's etc. he might be bringing with him but the email address is no longer valid. Did he or will he be lecturing down your way too?
Thanks for posting. Tom will be here in the Pacific Northwest on Friday March 1st for a lecture sponsored by IBM Rings 52 and 70.
I had planned on going based entirely on Tom's posts here on Genii. He is a thoughtful guy and I'm looking forward to a perspective on close up that isn't US-centric. It's nice to know that his show is a strong one!
I wrote him asking what sort of notes, video's etc. he might be bringing with him but the email address is no longer valid. Did he or will he be lecturing down your way too?
Re: Wonderful performer
Don't know... sorry... Did you get to Kramien's event last year? I lectured then and am doing another next June for Stan.
Stay tooned.
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Re: Wonderful performer
Tom should have copies of his lecture notes "...at first sight" and his book "The Warpsmith Returns." Both are excellent.
I have had many email exchanges with Tom for several years and this past week was the first time I've seen him perform. Turns out that in addition to being an extremely clever thinking he's also an excellent technician and a great entertainer. (At one point during a card routine that was going a bit slowly he completely broke up the audience by saying "I'm sorry -- this is a new routine. That's why it's so dreadfully slow." )
If you get to see him lecture, be on the lookout for his version of the ambidextrous travelers. It has a fantastically subtle bit to have all four cards signed, but not really. It completely flew by an extremely knowledgeable crowd in the Close Up Room.
Tom also has a trick which begins by him telling about the time he lost a card out of the deck when he was a kid, and his father took the joker and wrote the name of the missing card on it. Then he he shows a deck, removes the joker and puts it in the cardcase. The spectator then freely selects a card from a face-up spread -- no force. The card is marked with the spectator's initials and then the marked card changes place with the joker, which now has the name of the spectator's card written on it!
While you're thinking about how you might accomplish that miracle, consider this: Tom's method is completely impromptu! All you need is a deck with a joker and a sharpie.
Tom only rarely visits the US so if you can possibly see his lecture, go.
I have had many email exchanges with Tom for several years and this past week was the first time I've seen him perform. Turns out that in addition to being an extremely clever thinking he's also an excellent technician and a great entertainer. (At one point during a card routine that was going a bit slowly he completely broke up the audience by saying "I'm sorry -- this is a new routine. That's why it's so dreadfully slow." )
If you get to see him lecture, be on the lookout for his version of the ambidextrous travelers. It has a fantastically subtle bit to have all four cards signed, but not really. It completely flew by an extremely knowledgeable crowd in the Close Up Room.
Tom also has a trick which begins by him telling about the time he lost a card out of the deck when he was a kid, and his father took the joker and wrote the name of the missing card on it. Then he he shows a deck, removes the joker and puts it in the cardcase. The spectator then freely selects a card from a face-up spread -- no force. The card is marked with the spectator's initials and then the marked card changes place with the joker, which now has the name of the spectator's card written on it!
While you're thinking about how you might accomplish that miracle, consider this: Tom's method is completely impromptu! All you need is a deck with a joker and a sharpie.
Tom only rarely visits the US so if you can possibly see his lecture, go.
Re: Wonderful performer
I was lucky! Tom picked me to sit up at the table with him, something magicain members don't get to do to often. So I got to see him work up close and let me tell you, he knows his stuff. The joker trick is wonderful. The fact that it could be done with any deck (with a joker) makes it even better. It was a GREAT week at the Castle!
Scotto
Scotto
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Re: Wonderful performer
Originally posted by Pete McCabe:
Tom's method is completely impromptu! All you need is a deck with a joker and a sharpie.
Thanks Pete. I may have to leave the room when he teaches that one. If it fools me as badly as your description implies I don't want to know!
It's a wonderful idea for a theme. I spend most of my creative time trying to come up with hooks like that on which to hang a trick.
Now I'm even more jazzed about seeing him!
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Re: Wonderful performer
I suppose I should say that I don't know if Tom will be tipping this at his lecture or not. For your sakes I hope so :-)
I really think this is one of the most creative ideas in card magic I've seen in a long time. (Both the idea for the effect and the method itself). My mind has been racing with ideas for personalized variations and I don't doubt that if Tom does let this out we'll see variations from other top cardmen sooner rather than later.
Pete Biro: What did you think of the signed-card subtlety in the Ambidextrous Interchange? Wasn't that clever?
I really think this is one of the most creative ideas in card magic I've seen in a long time. (Both the idea for the effect and the method itself). My mind has been racing with ideas for personalized variations and I don't doubt that if Tom does let this out we'll see variations from other top cardmen sooner rather than later.
Pete Biro: What did you think of the signed-card subtlety in the Ambidextrous Interchange? Wasn't that clever?
Re: Wonderful performer
I don't recall that one... maybe I was laughing too hard to note subtleties... :D :D
Stay tooned.
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Re: Wonderful performer
Tom Stone is in a class by himself.
I had the pleasure of spending a great deal of time with him at FISM in Portugal. To use a current buzz phrase, Tom perpetually "thinks outside of the box." He lets his mind take giant leaps of fancy. One afternoon we played the Trick Brain Game and I laughingly challenged him to create a routine use pineapples and hand grenades.
Guess what?
He did it and the routine was brilliant.
The USA is just now catching up with him.
He is one of our future Creative Thinkers.
Onward...
I had the pleasure of spending a great deal of time with him at FISM in Portugal. To use a current buzz phrase, Tom perpetually "thinks outside of the box." He lets his mind take giant leaps of fancy. One afternoon we played the Trick Brain Game and I laughingly challenged him to create a routine use pineapples and hand grenades.
Guess what?
He did it and the routine was brilliant.
The USA is just now catching up with him.
He is one of our future Creative Thinkers.
Onward...
Re: Wonderful performer
Originally posted by Bill Duncan:
I wrote him asking what sort of notes, video's etc. he might be bringing with him but the email address is no longer valid
[/QB]
Bill,
Tom's address is valid, but he can't check his mail whule he is in USA.
He has an temporary address at:
the_warpsmith@hotmail.com
Hope it helps,
Peter Grning
Re: Wonderful performer
If anyone is in touch with Tom, and the trick is in the notes, I'd like to get a set.
Stay tooned.
Re: Wonderful performer
Now I remember the sublety "he" intialled one of the four cards... heheheheh :D :D :D
Stay tooned.
Re: Wonderful performer
Originally posted by Pete Biro:
TOM STONE, from Sweden knocked us dead Friday in the Close Up Gallery at the Castle.
Thanks Pete x 2, Jon and everyone for all these kind and flattering comments. I had a great time at the Castle, and in Seattle.
Regarding the effects: The travellers thingie isn't published anywhere yet, as it is brand new. I'm happy over the nice comments about it, but I wish that the comments were a bit more diffuse in some aspects.
The plot of the Joker trick is published in Jason Alford's book Cybersessions, but together with a gaffed, almost selfworking version of the trick. The impromptu version is still unpublished though.
But all of it will be published soon, hopefully in the autumn of 2003, via Hermetic Press.
I had a few items over after my lecture in Seattle, and Stephen Minch is sending those things to H&R Magic Books. Check with them in you are interested. I prefer to avoid all kind of dealer business myself, because I find it to be awfully boring.
Anyway, I had two great weeks in USA. Thanks everyone!
Tom Stone