The Genii Forum

performer

Yes. No doubt with a ton of magicians in the audience of which you were one. But then perhaps this is an American phenomenon where they give standing ovations for the slightest thing. Perhaps they are more inclined to do it when they pay to see you but I am still sceptical. I have seen Kreskin sever...

performer

I knew Paul Daniels personally and saw him perform live many, many times. He always went over well but never once got a standing ovation. I have been doing magic for 60 years and have suffered through the performances of thousands upon thousands of magicians. I have never once seen a single one of t...

performer

Jack Shalom wrote:I forget who it was who said it, but I've long liked the comment that, "ESP is another name for paying attention." I think it was quoted in a Doug Dyment booklet.

Actually Doug Dyment or whoever wrote that was wrong. ESP happens when you are NOT paying attention!

performer

The reason that Glenn agrees with me is that he is used to performing for real people on a frequent basis. After a long time doing this stuff you realise instinctively what works and what doesn't.

performer

I am going to hurt Al now by completely disagreeing with Pete McCabe. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever for trying to justify showing the faces of each card. As Al Baker once said, "Many a good trick is killed by improvement". All that unnecessary justification would slow up the tri...

performer

Sorry Harry. I have enough tricks already and despite your admonition of some time ago that if you keep doing the same tricks you go stagnant, I shall have to remain in stagnation. However, even if you can't get any money out of me perhaps my endorsement might possibly induce other people to get the...

performer

Walter Gibson wrote the whole thing.

performer

I just watched the Super Nova video. It is a fantastic trick! All it needs now is a bit of jibber jabber!

performer

Here is an example. I have found that when a magic event happens, the performer must not look at the audience. If someone is shocked to see some event and the magician is looking at them, that someone will shut down. Yet I see performer after performer looking at the audience to see if they are foo...

performer

JustinM wrote:
There's a piece on being natural in the Dai Vernon Book of Magic.

That is where I first read the theory about 55 years ago. I am still not quite sure what he was getting at.

performer

I have always had a feeling it was not what people think it might be. I believe it would indeed be a very good thing to get it clarified and I wish it had been done decades ago.

performer

The key to upsetting Al is to say something nice about him. I figured that out some time ago. I agree with Glenn's statement that the more you perform the better you become ----but only up to a point. With certain people it can actually make matters worse because bad habits can become embedded and b...

performer

I think that would be a remarkably good idea. I have always been a little unsure as to what he actually meant by it.

performer

I think understanding what goes through a specatator's mind is absolutely essential. This is at the very core of my work. Of course being psychic helps me a great deal with this. I will say that even before I became psychic I considered this aspect of magic to be absolutely essential. However, unlik...

performer

This is what I do. And it is actually a routine of several effects. I start off with Spellbound and then say to the people, "Of course you probably think I use two coins. Well actually I do and here is the other coin" I reach into my pocket and produce a duplicate coin and continue, "...

performer

performer You do me a bit of a disservice by suggesting a behavior I should follow. In fact, I considered her comment valueless as hyperbole. Also I waited for the day I could jab back. Apparently, that day has come, not that it matters much. There are however, a couple of things that do rankle me....

performer

.jpg file showing modified Tarbell diagrams for sale. https://scontent-dfw5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/36943065_10160659687965002_4096104095377522688_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=194773f3dfb5ff46a800f182cb8e8f4d&oe=5BA25EA8 Yeah, it's Randi Rain. Oh, Randi! I wouldn't mess with her! She will eat you ali...

performer

The Lives of a Showman Ah yes! That does ring a bell! I think I have heard of it! You must mean this one: https://www.marklewisentertainment.com/html/magicians.html However, I am astonished that you have only read half of the book. Most people tell me that they cannot put the book down. And I can a...

performer

I am going to ignore that horrific photograph. I have no idea who it is and am not sure if it is a self portrait of Mr Mullins or not. It appears to be some sort of night club bouncer or serial killer and not the type who would know anything about magic. However, I most certainly do and feel that I ...

performer

Good luck with it Harry! I hope you really do well with it!

performer

Oh, on rereading the book it seems that Martin Gardner came up with the force instead of Stewart James. It doesn't say where Gardner stole it from mind you. Not that I give a stuff of course-I shall leave that to the scholarly nitpickers who care about these things

performer

I have now forced myself to find the book in question. It has quite tired me out. It is indeed the Essential One. I wish it was a bit more essential so I could study it more. The trouble is that I lost my interest in magic quite some time ago. Or at least my intense enthusiasm. One of my relatives i...

performer

Probably. It looks familiar. I suppose I had better exert myself now to check. Bloody nuisance.

performer

Stever Cobb wrote:By the way performer, You are brutal brother! I may have to dig up your book again and finish the second half?

What book is that, pray?

performer

First, I did NOT say Al was boring. HE did. I was merely amused because Elisabeth Warlock of all people said he was boring. I did check Al out and found he was no more boring than anyone else and I suspect he entertains laymen very well. Secondly I do not "Jibber-jabber" as Richard claims....

performer

There are often reasons for passing a coin from one hand to the other and if there isn't you come up with one. It isn't exactly rocket science.

performer

I wonder if Mark Lewis has the Moving Pencil force in mind? You ribbon spread a face-up deck of cards on the table and you have a force card towards the end of the spread. You hold a pencil about 18 inches above the table. You pass the pencil over the deck as you ask the spectator to call stop. Whe...

performer

To be honest I can't remember and I haven't the energy to go and search out the book and find the title. It would take me forever and organisation is not one of my fortes. It was some book or other that David Ben in a fit of generosity gave me as a present. It is a damn good idea--I do know that. D...

performer

Oddly enough I was reading in one of Jamy Ian Swiss's books recently (I can't remember which one) quite a long dissertation of what Vernon meant by "be natural". I remember there was some discussion about the contradiction between the unnatural flat hand position in Vernon's Spellbound coi...

performer

Hilarious! I am too tactful to explain why I find this hilarious! I shall merely say that I have seen Elisabeth perform! I am now overcome with curiosity to see for myself how boring Al actually is. I will check him out. However, my opinion and in fact the opinion of ANY magician is of no consequenc...

performer

Indeed. I forgot to mention the name of the poet which is Robert Burns. I am not the slightest bit interested in poetry but for some odd reason since I have been 12 years old I have been fascinated by the poetry of Robert Burns. Something to do , no doubt, with leaving Scotland at that age for a hea...

performer

I agree with Richard that all 4 books should be read. I do find one fault with all of them except the Encores book is the million photographs which I find may not necessarily be a good thing. As grumpy old Wilfrid Jonson once remarked it is an incompetent author and an inattentive student who requir...

performer

My interpretation is this: act as if you would if you really had the power. You ARE joking, aren't you? That is the very antithesis of being natural. As for "acting" I always find acting types who do magic to be artificial rather than natural. And they usually talk too much and too loud. ...

performer

I find there are far too many Canadians in Canada and far too many magicians at Magician's conventions so I won't be going.

performer

As a thief of many years standing I shall resist the temptation to reflect on the malicious thought that flitted across my mind which stated something about minding one's own business and not being a busybody. I keep getting visions of the first two lines of Holy Willie's Prayer by the famous Scotti...

performer

Since we all appear to be bragging about how old and decrepit we are I thought I should join in too. I am a year younger than Al Schneider so I will bow to his seniority in this matter. I have never seen Mr Schneider live or on video so I have no idea how boring he is. I suspect he isn't as boring a...

performer

On the rare cases it didn't I devised an out which I am selfishly not going to tell you about. I can't do everything for you, you know. Anyway the point of this post is to posthumously commend Stewart James for that wonderful way of forcing a card. I recommend checking it out. Is this force publish...

performer

Richard Kaufman wrote:Nobody does this trick like David Berglas.

Agreed. That is why they shouldn't bother with it. The trick is a function of David's personality so it can't be done his way. You can adapt it to your own personality I suppose but that means altering the mechanics a trifle.

performer

I just watched that video. Oddly enough if Patrick had just gone ahead and make the five of clubs ( or whatever the card was) appear seventh one down in the deck he originally had in his hand it would have been far more effective and over in half the time. Of course that was contrary to his statemen...

performer

Mark? Do you ever perform Out of This World? I am just curious what you think of the trick? I am not sure I have seen you discuss it before. I think it is a wonderful trick. I bet the bloody thing has been exposed on You Tube by now makiing it somewhat less wonderful. Not that anyone here seems to ...

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