Search found 41 matches

by Ross Welford
February 22nd, 2016, 3:39 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: "the editor of genii who thinks he is god"
Replies: 34
Views: 14377

Re: "the editor of genii who thinks he is god"

Isn't it odd that Lever, a magician, cannot pronounce the word "genii"? He says "jean-eye". I don't think it's a deliberate swipe. Perhaps he's just thick?
by Ross Welford
February 8th, 2016, 4:31 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Derren Brown - Pushed to the Edge?
Replies: 43
Views: 15051

Re: Derren Brown - Pushed to the Edge?

I'm with Richard K. I watched it when it went out, and was unsettled (to say the least). I'm generally a big fan of Derren's but this was way too dark. At first I thought he had made the participants believe they had committed murder, and therefore the viewers believed that the participants believed...
by Ross Welford
November 10th, 2015, 10:38 am
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: Asking British people their names
Replies: 30
Views: 7859

Re: Asking British people their names

OK, Mark. It's a problem for you. Not for anyone else. Neither in social situations or performing.
by Ross Welford
October 13th, 2015, 8:11 am
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: Asking British people their names
Replies: 30
Views: 7859

Re: Asking British people their names

I started reading this thread with curiosity. I got the the end of about the second paragraph and rolled my eyes. "Surely," I asked myself, "This isn't Mark Lewis again?" And, Lo! It is! SO: relax, folks. It's just Mr Lewis doing his thing again (as it were). For the record: ther...
by Ross Welford
July 10th, 2014, 5:54 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Alan Alan R.I.P.
Replies: 14
Views: 5354

Re: Alan Alan R.I.P.

I did not know Alan Alan personally, instead I was one of the countless visitors to his shop on Southapmton Row when I was young - probably about 35 years ago. What an odd experience! Alan - a diminutive figure - was always behind the counter, usually sporting a "knife thru head" gag and c...
by Ross Welford
June 27th, 2014, 9:34 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Do people still wear watches?
Replies: 42
Views: 10721

Re: Do people still wear watches?

Jacques - you are one of an increasingly rare species: someone who can take a joke! All the best, Ross
by Ross Welford
June 26th, 2014, 10:30 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Do people still wear watches?
Replies: 42
Views: 10721

Re: Do people still wear watches?

JacquesleSueur wrote:
it's sat me in front of everyone from Colin Farrell to the Saudi Royal Family.



Sorry, Jacques - I'm sure you're great.

But that made me laugh. Genuinely. I'm not sure which is the funnier boast - him off "Ballykissangel", or the vilest ruling dynasty on the planet.
by Ross Welford
June 26th, 2014, 9:33 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Not the Best Review for Penn & Teller
Replies: 33
Views: 9282

Re: Not the Best Review for Penn & Teller

I saw the show for the second time and the Guardian's reviewer has it spot on. Frankly, I felt rather cheated. For £45 a ticket, and a four year gap, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a largely new show, rather than largely recycled one. (That said, I could watch Teller's coins and goldfish ...
by Ross Welford
April 6th, 2014, 4:22 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Best Version of Lubor Fiedler's Gozinta Boxes EVER
Replies: 90
Views: 24378

Re: Best Version of Lubor Fiedler's Gozinta Boxes EVER

I bought one of the originals from Supreme Magic when I was about 15 in the late 70s. From the written ad, I was utterly baffled and I probably bought it just to find out how it worked. Well, at that age I hardly had any regular gigs apart from once a year at the church pie-and-pea supper. I think i...
by Ross Welford
April 2nd, 2014, 8:20 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Ricky Jay on The Tonight Show March 31
Replies: 53
Views: 27272

Re: Ricky Jay on The Tonight Show March 31

"Routining savant"! Funny - and true. I certainly wouldn't have the spectator/sucker end up with a strong hand. As you say, that would spoil it; on the other hand I'm not sure I could resist having at least a king in there for the times when you show the spec. their choice. Probably, that'...
by Ross Welford
April 1st, 2014, 4:48 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Ricky Jay on The Tonight Show March 31
Replies: 53
Views: 27272

Re: Ricky Jay on The Tonight Show March 31

Ricky Jay was on the Tonight Show May 31, 2014, performing a version of the Ten Card Deal. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1l2ip7_ricky-jay-performs-jimmy-fallon-s-tonight-show_fun As Jon notes, if you want to know how he did it, it's in Chapter 2.2 of The Bammo Ten Card Deal Dossier, soon to be ...
by Ross Welford
March 19th, 2014, 12:33 pm
Forum: Tenyo
Topic: You bastards!
Replies: 33
Views: 20477

Re: You bastards!

I wonder if that ^ would work with my Tenyo Korrnwinder Kar? I have had it for years, but I have never performed it because the mechanism is just too stiff. There's an audible click when I switch it. Never been happy with it :(
by Ross Welford
February 3rd, 2014, 12:13 pm
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: Is Bill in Lemon overexposed?
Replies: 29
Views: 7779

Re: Is Bill in Lemon overexposed?

Yup, eggs are funnier then lemons. But neither is funnier than a banana. And a sausage is funniest of all. As Terry Herbert knows.
by Ross Welford
January 31st, 2014, 10:01 am
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: The Cups and Balls ca. 1963
Replies: 20
Views: 8139

Re: The Cups and Balls ca. 1963

I normally hate the Cups and Balls, mainly because a) it's rushed b) it's therefore confusing c) everyone seems to be doing their own lame version of the Vernon routine d) everyone's loads are screamingly obvious e) it's written into magical law that you must do this trick to be any good This was gr...
by Ross Welford
January 7th, 2014, 8:05 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: RED by Craig Petty
Replies: 79
Views: 21337

Re: RED by Craig Petty

The Cafe has been shut down all day. Perhaps just a coincidence, but WMS and Brooks are pretty tight, by all accounts. Usually, though, they just delete the relevant thread (relevant=vaguely disobliging to someone).

THis whole thing is fairly hilarious. Popcorn, anyone?
by Ross Welford
March 12th, 2013, 8:59 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: a brand new idea in magic
Replies: 15
Views: 2726

Re: a brand new idea in magic

You guys are lightweights. I made it to 2'15". Would somebody who watched the whole thing care to post a precis?

(That was a "teaser?" Jeez, I'd hate to watch the whole thing...)
by Ross Welford
November 25th, 2012, 10:03 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Full Review of London's International Magic Convention
Replies: 10
Views: 2953

Re: Full Review of London's International Magic Convention

Assuming this was an audience of magicians, it seems pretty mean of a spectator to pick holes in another performer's presentation, no?
by Ross Welford
November 12th, 2012, 2:40 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: The Twins - Clearly Impossible!
Replies: 6
Views: 2400

Re: The Twins - Clearly Impossible!

Crikey. It's fooled the pants off me. Must put them back on, there's a draught. Even if she's not a real member of the audience, it's baffling.

To me at any rate.
by Ross Welford
June 11th, 2012, 5:51 am
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Paper balls over the head
Replies: 22
Views: 5569

Re: Paper balls over the head

I don't suppose, Damian, that Paul Daniels is much to your taste. However, he has an interesting variation on the trick: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgRCOLwIJAQ">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgRCOLwIJAQ</a><!-- m --> I saw him do it live aeons ago, before I k...
by Ross Welford
April 20th, 2012, 6:57 am
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: Ripped & Fryed - source?
Replies: 199
Views: 37318

Re: Ripped & Fryed - source?

I'm not a pro, so perform less than some of you guys, but I have never EVER encountered anyone who has seen Cardwarp before, or looked it up on the internet.
by Ross Welford
April 18th, 2012, 5:59 pm
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: Ripped & Fryed - source?
Replies: 199
Views: 37318

Re: Ripped & Fryed - source?

In case anyone was wondering ("unhip" me included) this is what Jeff's cover is referencing:

http://vanswarpedtouruk.com/
by Ross Welford
April 17th, 2012, 1:08 pm
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: Ripped & Fryed - source?
Replies: 199
Views: 37318

Re: Ripped & Fryed - source?

SOunds like a good book. I remember someone years ago on alt.magic (whatever happened to that?!) trying to put together a collection of Card Warp variations. Perhaps it was you? Anyway - good luck with it, I'll buy one!
by Ross Welford
April 17th, 2012, 10:49 am
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: Ripped & Fryed - source?
Replies: 199
Views: 37318

Re: Ripped & Fryed - source?

Jeff: do you mean David Britland's version or "Ripped & Fryed"? (Having now played with "Tearing A Lady In Two", I think it's great, and pretty do-able with a little practice. I am, however, only very slightly closer to working out Charlie Frye's version which has ironed out ...
by Ross Welford
April 16th, 2012, 6:05 pm
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: Ripped & Fryed - source?
Replies: 199
Views: 37318

Re: Ripped & Fryed - source?

Gotta love lybrary.com who have a copy of the Britland MS for a paltry USD6! Man that's clever and Charlie Frye's refinements even more so.
by Ross Welford
April 16th, 2012, 4:47 pm
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: Ripped & Fryed - source?
Replies: 199
Views: 37318

Re: Ripped & Fryed - source?

Thanks for the tips. I saw it and told myself, "I'm gonna learn that no matter how hard it is."

(I've said that before, though.)

It has the perfect reason to tear and restore a card (mentioned in another thread below, IIRC)
by Ross Welford
April 16th, 2012, 2:14 pm
Forum: Close-Up Magic
Topic: Ripped & Fryed - source?
Replies: 199
Views: 37318

Ripped & Fryed - source?

I know it's in the TA Box Set, but I don't fancy paying that much. Is it available anywhere else? I find that even my usual fallback in such circumstances - watching 11 year-olds butcher a trick on YouTube - has failed to reveal enough for me to piece it together (as it were). Here is the trick beau...
by Ross Welford
February 12th, 2012, 12:32 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Has The Net Killed Magic?
Replies: 28
Views: 4217

Re: Has The Net Killed Magic?

When I was a kid in the UK there was no brick-n-mortar magic shops anywhere near me. The first one I went into was Alan Alan's Magic Spot on Southampton Row on a visit to London with my parents and he scared the life out of me. (Still does, actually.) The internet could not even have been imagined i...
by Ross Welford
February 11th, 2012, 7:39 pm
Forum: Platform & Stage Magic
Topic: So how deceptive is the balloon swallow, really?
Replies: 32
Views: 28883

Re: So how deceptive is the balloon swallow, really?

Well I certainly put in the practice! I wonder what makes the difference between doing it well and poorly (as I am prepared to admit I may well have done!). I too have seen it done very well and when I saw it done, while I knew he wasn't actually shoving it down his throat, the mechanics of it elude...
by Ross Welford
February 11th, 2012, 6:20 pm
Forum: Platform & Stage Magic
Topic: So how deceptive is the balloon swallow, really?
Replies: 32
Views: 28883

So how deceptive is the balloon swallow, really?

I did this in a show for a large audience recently. My nine year old son was in the audience. His friends told him that the balloon had deflated as it went into my mouth and I had either swallowed it or spat it out secretly. Guess that one isn't staying in the show. Are people really mystified by th...
by Ross Welford
February 8th, 2012, 2:19 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: Sh*t Magicians Say
Replies: 24
Views: 5160

Re: Sh*t Magicians Say

I suppose I should be flattered that you've seen my act, and studied it so closely...
by Ross Welford
February 6th, 2012, 1:12 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: A statement from Wayne Dobson concerning David Penn's actions.
Replies: 24
Views: 11436

Re: A statement from Wayne Dobson concerning David Penn's actions.

If you're interested in this sort of thing, get over to the thread linked above - it has all kicked off further today.
by Ross Welford
February 5th, 2012, 12:11 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: A statement from Wayne Dobson concerning David Penn's actions.
Replies: 24
Views: 11436

Re: A statement from Wayne Dobson concerning David Penn's actions.

No, it's not just you Ryan. The whole thing is very odd indeed. I've just had a quick skim through the thread linked by Brad (above) and amount of high-horsing and brown-nosing and nit-picking, mainly by people who don't know any of the participants, is hilarious!
by Ross Welford
February 4th, 2012, 12:36 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: So THIS is where everyone is!
Replies: 2
Views: 758

So THIS is where everyone is!

I'm an occasional visitor/poster at the Magic Cafe, but for a while now I have been wondering where everyone has gone. It's like being in your usual pub, but one day looking round and seeing that none of the regulars are there; they have been replaced by teenagers getting p*ssed on Diamond White. Th...
by Ross Welford
February 4th, 2012, 12:24 pm
Forum: Buzz
Topic: A statement from Wayne Dobson concerning David Penn's actions.
Replies: 24
Views: 11436

Re: A statement from Wayne Dobson concerning David Penn's actions.

I've just been over to the Cafe for a quick look round and there's nothing there that I could see. Surely this all can't have been deleted already?!
by Ross Welford
June 17th, 2009, 7:52 am
Forum: Magicana
Topic: Wayne Houchin's tricks
Replies: 1
Views: 1810

Wayne Houchin's tricks

According to the article in this month's Genii, there are demos of the tricks on Wayne's website.

Darned if I can find them, though.

Any help?
by Ross Welford
February 26th, 2009, 9:26 am
Forum: Magicana
Topic: Matthew J Dowden's Fulcrum Vanish (March)
Replies: 7
Views: 3967

Matthew J Dowden's Fulcrum Vanish (March)

It's probably just me. It usually is... However, I just don't get this. I'm not sure what is supposed to be happening. At what point is the coin "supposed" to be dropped into the receiving hand? It seems to me like a classic fake transfer, with the addition of a last flash of the coin but,...
by Ross Welford
June 11th, 2008, 11:04 am
Forum: General
Topic: Card Warp
Replies: 122
Views: 28730

Re: Card Warp

This is strange. A couple of days ago - or did I imagine it? - there was a heartfelt mea culpa by Paul Green over at the magic cafe, in which he said it wasn't his intention to rip off anyone, that he thought he was ok to release the dvd, and he was mortified that he'd upset anyone, or words to that...
by Ross Welford
March 6th, 2006, 8:29 am
Forum: General
Topic: Ten Ichi Thumbtie
Replies: 14
Views: 3190

Re: Ten Ichi Thumbtie

The American magician John Lenehan, who performs around London UK, does the version with pipe cleaners. It's very funny and completely baffling. There's something about the pipe cleaners that adds to the effect, I think - we know that becasue they are made of wire they won't stretch AND could hurt.
by Ross Welford
September 29th, 2005, 8:31 am
Forum: General
Topic: Magic Castle and the White Stripes
Replies: 20
Views: 2912

Re: Magic Castle and the White Stripes

Never heard of White Stripes. Are they local to CA.

They are world famous. Huge in the UK. Huge everywhere. Not so keen meself, but each to his own...
by Ross Welford
September 24th, 2005, 3:38 pm
Forum: Magic History and Anecdotes
Topic: historical figures who are magicians
Replies: 54
Views: 8646

Re: historical figures who are magicians

Personally, I'm suspicious of the claim that the mistress-marrying, crown-awaiter Prince Charles is a magician. The only evidence I've ever seen is a picture of him performing the cups and balls for a Magic Circle audition aeons ago. What are the chances of the membership committee turning him down?...

Go to advanced search