Mac King photo idea was really kind of mine.

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MaxNY
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Mac King photo idea was really kind of mine.

Postby MaxNY » December 19th, 2014, 1:23 am

So. I will have to find the shot so many of you can view it, but right now I have it up as my FB profile shot. I pickled myself way before Mac King did. My promo picture was made over 15 years ago, and I have had it as my FB profile shot for years.

When I showed it to the photographer at a Magic Live convention (along with time stamped data) he just shrugged his shoulders. Just saying...

I got my idea from the Penn and Teller SNL skit "Are we Live." I wanted to do something upside down. I took a water jug, cut the hole in the bottom ( 2 hour job) glued a "cork" in the top, nailed that to a board, went to the local playground,poured jugs and jugs of water into the clear water jug, hung upside down with inversion boots, did reverse squats pulling myself up after I couldn't hold my breath any longer!

You may have to search FB for my real name Steven Max Droge. I have photos open for friends of friends.

Maybe you should avoid that photographer.

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NCMarsh
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Re: Mac King photo idea was really kind of mine.

Postby NCMarsh » December 19th, 2014, 4:18 am

Hi Steven,

Can you give some context about what photo you're talking about?

Best,

N

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MaxNY
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Re: Mac King photo idea was really kind of mine.

Postby MaxNY » December 19th, 2014, 7:47 am

I think Mac's shot will grace the cover of the next Magic Magazine...


Nathan, we are FB friends, I have the shot at my profile picture. I also have a shot "in the making" under my FB photos album called pickle shots.

Bill Mullins
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Re: Mac King photo idea was really kind of mine.

Postby Bill Mullins » December 19th, 2014, 9:46 am

Where did Mac King pickle himself? Are you talking about the cover to the most recent issue of Magic? (which features an excellent article about Mac written by Max Maven)

The photo on your FB page reminds me of a shot from Silence of the Lambs.

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AJM
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Re: Mac King photo idea was really kind of mine.

Postby AJM » December 19th, 2014, 10:01 am

Over in this neck of the woods most people get pickled on a regular basis - usually after work on a Friday evening.

Ted M
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Re: Mac King photo idea was really kind of mine.

Postby Ted M » December 19th, 2014, 12:21 pm

MaxNY, I wouldn't lose sleep over this. Yours is a head in a jar:

Image

...which is an old and not uncommon trope. The Victorians preserved and displayed all kinds of creatures and body parts in jars. I'm still haunted by the jars of deformed fetuses at the Mutter Museum of Medical Oddities and Curiosities in Philadelphia. They also have the conjoined livers of Chang and Eng, the original siamese twins, preserved there in a bucket of formaldehyde.

Anyway, as to it being a commonplace conceit, here's a giant pile of pics via Google Images: http://www.google.com/search?q=head%20i ... l&tbm=isch

It was also a wildly popular Halloween craft project this past season. Heck, this instruction page has nearly two million hits: http://www.instructables.com/id/head-in-a-jar-prank/

The MAGIC cover is Mac King's full body in a jar:

Image

...which, being full-body, is a small step beyond preserving a body part which could conceivably fit in a jar. It's not wildly original, but in my view neither was yours. I like your vivid colors, though.

My favorite entity in a jar is of course the Brain of Morbius from Doctor Who (1976):

Image

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Re: Mac King photo idea was really kind of mine.

Postby Bill Mullins » December 19th, 2014, 1:50 pm

Ted M wrote:My favorite entity in a jar is of course the Brain of Morbius from Doctor Who (1976):


Even better:

Image

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Q. Kumber
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Re: Mac King photo idea was really kind of mine.

Postby Q. Kumber » December 19th, 2014, 3:06 pm

Bill Mullins wrote:
Ted M wrote:My favorite entity in a jar is of course the Brain of Morbius from Doctor Who (1976):


Even better:

Image



Ahhh! Abby Normal!

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Brad Jeffers
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Re: Mac King photo idea was really kind of mine.

Postby Brad Jeffers » December 19th, 2014, 3:43 pm

MaxNY wrote: I took a water jug, cut the hole in the bottom ( 2 hour job) glued a "cork" in the top, nailed that to a board, went to the local playground,poured jugs and jugs of water into the clear water jug, hung upside down with inversion boots, did reverse squats pulling myself up after I couldn't hold my breath any longer!

Are you kidding, or did you really do all that!?

I think there may have been an easier way.

Now I'm wondering where Mac King was able to get that giant mason jar (and whether the photographer had the foresight to poke a few holes in the lid).

This whole thing reminds me of the Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode, The Jar

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Banachek
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Re: Mac King photo idea was really kind of mine.

Postby Banachek » December 20th, 2014, 3:30 pm

I would suspect if anything they were inspired by the recent American Horror Story TV show..
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In thoughts and friendship
Banachek

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Banachek
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Re: Mac King photo idea was really kind of mine.

Postby Banachek » December 20th, 2014, 7:17 pm

Just wanted to clarify.. yeah, it sucks when you have an idea and someone else has an idea close or the same, but it happens, I can't tell you how many times I am working on a new idea and the next day or week I see someone else has too. not even knowing my thoughts or work. It happens. In this case, I suspect it was independent thinking on an idea that has been used many, many times. There are plenty of photoshop sites that show you how and even sites that show you how to really put your head in a jar, or appear to. This site is even titled "How to put your head in a pickle jar."

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Head-in-a-Jar

So it was just a matter of time for magicians to use it. It sucks personally I know but there is no ground to stand on unfortunately on this one.
In thoughts and friendship

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John Signa
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Re: Mac King photo idea was really kind of mine.

Postby John Signa » December 20th, 2014, 7:32 pm

And I was thinking the inspiration was They Saved Hitler's Brain:
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Re: Mac King photo idea was really kind of mine.

Postby Michael Close » December 21st, 2014, 12:35 pm

Isn't there a promotional photo that shows Mac inside a fish bowl at Harrah's? I think there is, and that photo has been used by the casino (and Mac) for a long time.

It seems to me that if the title of the piece is "How Mac King Stayed Fresh," the idea of putting him in a canning jar in a photo is an obvious option.

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Mac King photo idea was really kind of mine.

Postby Richard Kaufman » December 21st, 2014, 2:59 pm

I've got Hitler's brain in my closet. Yes, it's in a jar. No, don't tell anyone.
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Re: Mac King photo idea was really kind of mine.

Postby Bill Mullins » December 21st, 2014, 10:35 pm

Robert Bloch:
"I've got the heart of a small boy. I keep it in a jar on my desk."


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