The Genii Forum

Joe Mckay

This is so sad... about nine months since Roy Horn died.

So tragic.

RIP

Joe Mckay

Here is a new interview with David Regal.

He is one of the most creative people in the history of magic.

It is always a joy listening to him talk about magic - there is nobody I enjoy listening to more than David.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEJHou3MTEQ

Joe Mckay

The Jerx had some interesting thoughts that are related to this area.

https://www.thejerx.com/blog/2018/7/1/the-tit

Joe Mckay

If you join Ask Alexander - you will get access to this online.

Joe Mckay

Amazing job as always.

Great work Dustin!

Joe Mckay

Hey Bob,

Teller gives you a shout-out here!

https://discourseinmagic.com/a-life-of-magic-with-teller/

Check out the 1hr 25mins 20secs mark.

It is a great interview.

Joe Mckay

Matthew was a great guy.

His name was the first thing I would come across at the start of so many of my favourite magic books.

He was an important voice behind the scenes throughout the remarkable run of books that Richard Kaufman has created.

Joe Mckay

Yes - I am. But in quite an unusual way.

Think The Amazing Johnathan meets Arthur Schopenhauer.

I think life is so meaningless that it is hilarious.

So - my worldview is rooted in that.

Joe Mckay

Thanks Quentin!

Joe Mckay

Sorry for digging up an old thread! There was a discussion about the classics of mentalism (Corinda and Practical Mental Magic) on Facebook. And I just wanted to share what I wrote here as well, since I think there is a lot of confusion around exactly how magicians should "tackle" these tw...

Joe Mckay

I am a big fan of her work. Strangley - I don't recognise this trick from her books. So that is odd.

Thanks for pointing this one out to me!

Joe Mckay

Thanks for the suggestion - I will add it to my list. Cheers!

Joe Mckay

Those are all new to me. Thanks a lot!

Joe Mckay

My vision for my close-up magic is really coming together well. I won't go into all the details just yet - but part of the structure will involve having something to "bounce" off. And some of that will consist of magic "gags". I am talking about the stuff that Karrell Fox and Bil...

Joe Mckay

That is brilliant - thanks for the reference!

I will go look up her work.

Any ideas I have are worthless until I get a chance to perform them. So, I appreciate the forbearance of those posters on here with more performing experience than I could ever hope to attain.

Thanks again!

Joe Mckay

Spike Lee has an interesting critique of the trope used in the movie, The Legend of Bagger Vance. That said - I have never seen the movie. I came across his critique because I was researching a different movie trope - The Manic Pixie Dream Girl. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manic_Pixie_Dream_Girl

Joe Mckay

One of my favourite movies is Rope by Alfred Hitchcock. I remember Penn Jillette saying it was his favourite movie as well. It is the only movie I have seen that plays out like a series of small magic tricks. It is delightfully ingenious. I must have watched it a hundred times now. The plot is simpl...

Joe Mckay

My goal is to perform real magic. Strong magic. This is not about playing a spoof magician who messes things up. I am just looking to couch the magic in a "low status" character who still loses even when he wins. By which I mean - because he is obsessed with acheiving a non-magic goal - he...

Joe Mckay

The successful completion of a magic trick is a "high status" move. So - if you are a "low status" character - there must be some goal you are trying to achieve that is more important to you than simply fooling people. And by failing in that bigger goal - you can bury your "...

Joe Mckay

I am thinking of reading a book called Impro by Keith Johnstone. It is a famous book and I believe he is also considered the "founder" of improv theatre. I saw him give a TED talk once as well - interesting guy. I was checking out some book reviews, and Keith seems to have some interesting...

Joe Mckay

Thanks for the recommendations everyone. I am also about to read BE MORE FUNNY by Christopher W. Barnes. This book is specifically aimed at magicians and is devoted to adding humour to your magic. And thanks for that suggestion, Andrew. I think the subtext to that comment is that I am an idiot. I th...

Joe Mckay

Sorry if I have asked this before. Yeah - I have found the Steve Spill books to be very helpful. Pretty much the only books that really discuss this issue in the way that appeals to me. I am a big fan of Penn & Teller, and The Amazing Johnathan. But they haven't published much on how to apply co...

Joe Mckay

I am interested in reading more about adding comedy to your magic. I am pretty well read in magic, but this is not a topic I have researched before. As such - I am wondering if anyone has any good pointers for this sort of thing? I think comedy is generational. As such - the comedy I most enjoy is f...

Joe Mckay

Here is an interesting observation given to the late Bob Cassidy by a friend of his. It is about how to add a Logical Disconnect to one of the phases of Sefalaljia. I always thought that Stewart James' “Sefalaljia” [see Annemann's “Practical Mental Effects”] was a terrific effect and I'm strictly ta...

Joe Mckay

It always felt odd how you had to leave your order on an answerphone. I spent so much money with those guys. Still - the service they provided was always excellent. They were a real lifesaver before ordering online took off.

Joe Mckay

Satanism crops up a lot in Bob's magic. I think it is great.

Is this a deliberate artistic choice, Bob?

Joe Mckay

That shop was incredible. It did more for British magic than The Magic Circle.

Joe Mckay

Also - you could then use a Fire Wallet as you place the three 6's away into your wallet?

Joe Mckay

Jay Sankey has a trick I like. For some reason it never made its way into any of the Sankey books. He has 3 cards selected and uses the Vernon strip-out switch to switch them for the three 6's. He then shows the cards and tells them that choosing 6-6-6 is not a good sign. He then looks through his d...

Joe Mckay

The Houdini lists I have looked up are not helping me out. Although I did find some bonus quotes that I like.

Joe Mckay

Google is chucking up lots of results for the Houdini Needle trick (which uses thread).

And nothing is coming up when I search for the other quote. It uses too many ordinary words to really stand out.

I will try searching for lists of famous Houdini quotes, and see if that works.

Cheers!

Joe Mckay

I am trying to track down the exact wording for a couple of Houdini quotes. Please help. 1) Does anyone know the exact quote where Houdini says something along the lines of: The hardest thing to escape from is a thread two inches long tying your thumbs behind your back. 2) Does anyone know the quote...

Joe Mckay

Thanks so much for the extra information. Stories like this add a wonderful depth to magic history.

You and Max are both tremendous scholars of magic.

Thanks again!

Joe Mckay

That is fantastic. Thanks a lot!

Joe Mckay

I heard that the character of Norman Bates in the 1959 novel Psycho (that later became the famous movie by Alfred Hitchcock) was actually based on Stewart James. Or more specifically that the relationship between Norman Bates and his domineering mother was based on the relationship that Stewart Jame...

Joe Mckay

I agree with those who think my nihilism is a bit too weird. Unless you fully commit to some kind of gonzo outsider art - it will probably alienate rather than entertain. David Regal gave some advice in a recent lecture that really struck home with me. It is simple advice, but I have never seen it e...

Joe Mckay

I have had some new ideas for a totally different conceit/persona that I am really pleased with. It also means I don't have to explore dark ideas. So, I will run with that one for now rather than try and turn my magic act into some weird existential nihilist rant. It helps unblock my brain by gettin...

Joe Mckay

I should add that I despise magic. It is so dull. Even the good magic - I can take it or leave it. Still - I enjoy studying it. And I want to try and give back in terms of creating something interesting and original. That is an interesting challenge. I wonder if other magicians ever feel like they h...

Joe Mckay

That's exactly what I'm saying. The act of being selfish ultimately causes more good than bad. I should add that the reason I don't care about climate change is because I will never have kids. I just have no interest in having kids. Ironically that is the single best thing you can do to prevent clim...

Joe Mckay

This must be a hard time for you Richard. Sending you good wishes from this side of the big pond.

2020 sucks.

Over here - in the UK - we celebrate Thanksgiving on July 4th.

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