The Genii Forum

Joe Z

First we lost Al's Magic in Washington, D.C. and now Barry's Magic in Rockville, MD is leaving.

We never really know what we have until it's gone.

Thanks Barry and Sue for all the years of friendship and fun...but we'll still be seeing you two around town.

Joe Z.

Joe Z

Like Dick, I first knew Tim back in the early 1980s when we were both members of the Washington D.C. area SAM and IBM. We both shared an interest in performing closeup magic, especially Slydini, and he quickly learned and reached a level of performance skill that was unsurpassed IMO. His performance...

Joe Z

For sale: Pure Effect by Derren Brown, Third Printing, near mint condition. OOP and rare. $135 postpaid. Money order, no PayPal. PM or e-mail for details: jmzabel@juno.com.

Joe Z.

Joe Z

Chief Genii:

Now that's a pretty lame excuse for nasty, boorish commentary from a mean-spirited and close-minded colleague. Give me a break!

Joe Zabel

Joe Z

For the most part, I agree with Jamy Swiss concerning his very positive review of Steve Bryants wonderful new book, The Little Egypt Book of Ghosts . However, I find his cheap, snippy, disparaging remark about the high-on-pretense-low-on-ethics PEA crowd to be yet another indication of the obviously...

Joe Z

I have the old Joseph manuscript somewhere (I think), and I believe it's one of the better on the topic. Sorry I can't recall the name at the moment. Greg: I believe the Eddie Joseph manuscript you mention is "Come Good Spirits," which Abbotts published in 1948. It indeed is a seminal wor...

Joe Z

The Theta Portfolio is a full-sized handcrafted leather portfolio complete with a legal pad. A useful addition to any mentalist's arsenal, Theta can be used to switch large flat items (e.g., business envelopes, photographs, jumbo card, etc.), steal Q&A information, deliver Q&A information, p...

Joe Z

I knew Jack Birnman back in the late 1970s-early 80s and I believe he was retired at that time. I don't recall exactly what Jack had done for a living, but I do know that he was pretty much an amateur magician -- however, Jack was an extremely creative and wonderfully skilled performer as well as an...

Joe Z

I've entertained professionally for three-plus hours using nothing more than a supply of business cards and my audience's palms.

Joe Z.

Joe Z

Johnny Thompson expertly demonstrates the Han Ping Chien move on volume one of his Commercial Classics DVDs.

Joe Z.

Joe Z

The title "Mind Games" was not Alain Nu's idea and he had to work on the producer for a long time to get the title changed.

Joe Z.

Joe Z

Congratulations two times, Jeff!!!

Just remember, the misdirection is pretty much the same for both top and bottom changes.

Joe

Joe Z

For sale: The perfect set of knives for either Scotty's routine or Max Schulien's orginial four-knife routine. Includes 1 black stag knife; 1 white bone knife; 1 black stag/white bone knife; 1 black stag/yellow bone knife; and 1 extra black stag/red bone knife. Mint condition with carrying pouch and...

Joe Z

I have a mint copy of this highly sought-after title at $150 postpaid. Sorry, no PayPal.

Joe Z.

Joe Z

Hi Al:

It is possible that I have a copy of these instructions at home somewhere. I'll let you know ASAP.

Joe Z.

Joe Z

Originally posted by Nick Sacco: [QB] Like it or not, exposure is a part of this artform, unless we all leaned from a secretive master without venturing into a library to read a book on magic by, oh let's say, Blackstone, Scarne, Bruce Elliot to name a few. IMO, writing and publishing a general mag...

Joe Z

Originally posted by David Alexander: Sorry to disappoint, but knowing magic history as I do, there never was an "ethical standard" about exposure in the "good old days" that is "rapidly diminishing" today. People exposed back then....people expose today, only today, t...

Joe Z

Adding to the weight of the secrecy-at-all-cost mythos for many neophytes like Tom G., we have two entities: (1) magic clubs, and (2) magic dealers, both of whom seem to have "special interest" in perpetuating the mythos. That's my two cents worth. What are your thoughts? [/QB] Both magic...

Joe Z

It's sad when certain magicians (both professional and amateur) intentionally expose magic/mentalism concepts to lay people. It's even more pathetic when magician sycophants support that same exposure. I still recall reading John Mulholland and Henry Hay years ago when I first began my serious inter...

Joe Z

Originally posted by AntonioMCabral: No, what that is is "Hollywood". You know, like the hooker with a heart of gold. Or who looks like Julia Roberts. You posed the "hope springs eternal" scenario, Tony -- I just gave you an example from filmland. However, the desperate, innocen...

Joe Z

Originally posted by Necromancer: The "fraudulent" psychic business, when conducted responsibly, gives its customers what they want -- and sometimes what they need. Conversely, the card cheat business has value to only one person: the card cheat. If you check out the full thread, you will...

Joe Z

Originally posted by AntonioMCabral: [QB] It strikes me a little too rainbows and lollipops to imagine a sucker in a big con or gambling scam as a portrait of "hope springs eternal". What, you never saw "Casablanca?" Remember the young guy that is gambling to raise the funds for...

Joe Z

Originally posted by Jonathan Townsend: Are you suggesting that there could be a spiritualist interpretation of gambling? No. But I have used a card table to lay out Tarot spreads, so I guess the table could be loosely considered a divination tool. However, I rarely use a roulette wheel as an oracl...

Joe Z

Originally posted by Kevin Wiese: Does anyone who enters a card game, with any knowledge that the game MAY be fixed in some way, really expect a positive, life-changing result that may benefit him or a loved one? Yes...he hopes to make a wad of easy cash from the gambling that could benefit him or ...

Joe Z

Originally posted by Robert Allen: I think people are really misreading the situation quite a bit if they think that the believers can be convinced that there is no life after death. If people subscribe to religion, is subscribing to people who claim they can speak to the dead so much of a reach? A...

Joe Z

Originally posted by AntonioMCabral: Spiritualism isn't about fraudulent mediums, and it isn't about the magicians who know how it's done. It's about sad people. Tony: While I agree with some of what you have said -- especially concerning the topic of arrogance -- I disagree with your characterizat...

Joe Z

I believe the first mention of the riffle classic pass was in Elliot's Last Legacy published in 1923.

Joe Z.

Joe Z

The most knowledgeable and experienced professional readers consistently mention the writings and products of Richard Webster, Herb Dewey, Ford Kross, and Ron Martin as the best current work on this subject. More recently, Brad Henderson's "The Dance" has been widely praised. Also mentione...

Joe Z

Originally posted by Mithrandir: I do not know Mr. Houston as well as I might, nor indeed as well as I wish, but I do know that he deserves our profound respect. Not only has he been doing magic for fifty years, he has lived life, in many places and fashions, and has this to offer in his magical pr...

Joe Z

The Rowland book is called "The Full Facts on Cold Reading." While Full Facts does pull together a large amount of material and strategems that characterize the magician/skeptic approach to this craft, it ignores such essentials as the necessity to learn a recognized divination system. Cre...

Joe Z

If you really want to learn about how to perform a credible reading, there are far better resources to spend your money on than Completely Cold. I recommend the works of Richard Webster (Quick and Effective Cold Reading), Herb Dewey (Red Hot Cold Reading), Ron Martin (Tarot Reader's Notebook), Ford ...

Joe Z

Ian Rowland's "Full Facts" book on cold reading is structured as a textbook tool for those individuals (i.e., magicians, wannabe mentalists, and skeptics) who wish to learn about what comprises "cold reading" as used by workers in the psychic trade. It includes all of the usual p...

Joe Z

Originally posted by Psychic: There really is no reason for all this sleeping in public. Unless of course you have been watching the Evasons. Tsk tsk. You should only wish that you had one tenth of the talent and riveting presence that the Evasons display before an audience at each of their perform...

Joe Z

The booklet is titled "Completely Cold" and IMO is really a waste of paper and money ($40) that could be much better spent elsewhere. The craft of psychic reading involves a great deal of knowledge (i.e., a sincere concern for the human condition, a keen understanding of human psychology a...

Joe Z

Originally posted by mrgoat: how can selling tricks to the public be bad for magic...we aren't freemasons, we are entertainers It's too bad the magic community isn't more like the freemasons. The magic community of the past (with a few notable exceptions) epitomized the kind of secrecy that is inhe...

Joe Z

I find it interesting when a thread appears on an online forum concerning Ian Rowland's FF of Cold Reading book and its usefulness as a resource for learning how to present convincing, credible psychic readings. The newbies seem to be very impressed with the alleged "comprehensiveness" of ...

Joe Z

Originally posted by Terry Terrell: Anyway, I went nuts over the Natural finish J-200 model. It costs $2000... I have found that Epiphone makes a EJ-200 duplicate of the J-200. The cost is around $400. What are some opinions of Epiphone and/or this guitar? Spend the money and get the Gibson J-200. ...

Joe Z

"Without proper presentation, the best sleight of hand is little more than a feat of juggling."

-- Nate Leipzig

Joe Z

In my experience, I have found John Rigg's Hornet and Skeeter boards to be reasonably failsafe if employed properly. IMO, they are the best items of their kind currently available. But 100 percent -- very few things in this craft (and in life, for that matter) are 100 percent. An adept and resourcef...

Joe Z

Whether the NBC show tipped "important" material or not, the concept of exposure is contrary to all that we strive for; as mystery workers. What makes it worse, a professional magician/mentalist (Mark Edward) is featured on the show; exposing secrets under the ridiculous premise that it wi...

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