Page 1 of 1

Mac King photo idea was really kind of mine.

Posted: December 19th, 2014, 1:23 am
by MaxNY
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.

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

Posted: December 19th, 2014, 4:18 am
by NCMarsh
Hi Steven,

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

Best,

N

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

Posted: December 19th, 2014, 7:47 am
by MaxNY
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.

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

Posted: December 19th, 2014, 9:46 am
by Bill Mullins
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.

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

Posted: December 19th, 2014, 10:01 am
by AJM
Over in this neck of the woods most people get pickled on a regular basis - usually after work on a Friday evening.

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

Posted: December 19th, 2014, 12:21 pm
by Ted M
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

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

Posted: December 19th, 2014, 1:50 pm
by Bill Mullins
Ted M wrote:My favorite entity in a jar is of course the Brain of Morbius from Doctor Who (1976):


Even better:

Image

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

Posted: December 19th, 2014, 3:06 pm
by Q. Kumber
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!

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

Posted: December 19th, 2014, 3:43 pm
by Brad Jeffers
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

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

Posted: December 20th, 2014, 3:30 pm
by Banachek
I would suspect if anything they were inspired by the recent American Horror Story TV show..
Image

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

Posted: December 20th, 2014, 7:17 pm
by Banachek
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.

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

Posted: December 20th, 2014, 7:32 pm
by John Signa
And I was thinking the inspiration was They Saved Hitler's Brain:
Image

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

Posted: December 21st, 2014, 12:35 pm
by Michael Close
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.

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

Posted: December 21st, 2014, 2:59 pm
by Richard Kaufman
I've got Hitler's brain in my closet. Yes, it's in a jar. No, don't tell anyone.

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

Posted: December 21st, 2014, 10:35 pm
by Bill Mullins
Robert Bloch:
"I've got the heart of a small boy. I keep it in a jar on my desk."